The cytidine deaminase, Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic subunit 3B (APOBEC3B, herein termed A3B), is a critical mutation driver that induces genomic instability in cancer by catalyzing cytosine-to-thymine (C-to-T) conversion and promoting replication stress. However, the detailed function of A3B in replication stress is not fully determined and it is not known whether the mechanism of A3B action can be exploited for cancer therapy. Here, we conducted an immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS) study and identified A3B to be a novel binding component of R-loops, which are RNA:DNA hybrid structures. Mechanistically, overexpression of A3B exacerbated replication stress by promoting R-loop formation and altering the distribution of R-loops in the genome. This was rescued by the R-loop gatekeeper, Ribonuclease H1 (RNASEH1). In addition, a high level of A3B conferred sensitivity to ATR/Chk1 inhibitors in melanoma cells, which was dependent on R-loop status. Together, our results provide novel insights into the mechanistic link between A3B and R-loops in the promotion of replication stress in cancer. This will inform the development of markers to predict the response of patients to ATR/Chk1 inhibitors.