In today’s highly competitive and volatile environment, particularly in emerging markets, achieving sustainable competitive advantage has emerged as a primary strategic objective for firms. Fraud awareness and information accountability, as cornerstones of corporate governance and organizational transparency, play a critical role in enhancing corporate performance and sustainability. Furthermore, access to finance capacity can serve as a catalyst, amplifying the impact of these factors on firms’ competitive advantage. This study aims to investigate the impact of fraud awareness and information accountability on sustainable competitive advantage in firms, while accounting for the mediating role of access to finance capacity.

This research is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-correlational methodology. The required data were collected via a researcher-developed questionnaire, constructed based on components and items derived from interviews with experts, financial managers, senior accountants, and executive directors of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and advanced statistical techniques were utilized to test the hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that fraud awareness, information accountability, and access to finance capacity each have a positive and significant impact on firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, access to finance capacity plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between fraud awareness and sustainable competitive advantage, as well as between information accountability and sustainable competitive advantage. The results suggest that firms with stronger financial infrastructures and more efficient financial technologies are more capable of effectively converting the benefits of transparency and fraud control into sustainable competitive advantage.