Here’s another reason banks should fear the likes of Amazon.com Inc.: A new survey shows consumersare eager to see technology titans take on finance.

Nearly 60% of U.S. bank customers are willing to try a financialproduct from tech firms they already use, according to a surveyconducted by consultant Bain & Co. For younger respondents, theinterest was especially high. About 73% of people age 18 to 34 saidthey would try a tech firm’s credit card, deposit account,investment or mortgage.

“They’re saying if you come up with an experience as simple andeasy as my shopping experience is with Amazon, I’m ready to do thatnow,” Gerard du Toit, a Bain partner and co-author of the report,said in an interview. “We’ve seen this happen already in China,where it’s common for people to do many of their banking activitiesthrough WeChat and Alipay and players like that.”

Bain’s study drew on a survey of 133,171 people in 22 countries,showing attitudes vary widely. Well over 80% of respondents livingin India and China said they’re open to trying new financial offersfrom tech companies -- more than double the acceptance rate inFrance, which ranked most reticent.

While tech juggernauts including Amazon, Alphabet Inc.’s Googleand Facebook Inc. are already expanding in the U.S. into areas suchas payments or lending, they aren’t amassing deposits. That’sbecause federal laws prevents companies from combining commercialventures with fully fledged banks.

Instead, du Toit predicts, banks will partner with Amazon andothers. Lenders would manufacture financial products, and techgiants would serve as distribution and servicing channels. In otherwords, what Amazon already does with consumer goods.

Yet because distribution accounts for two-thirds of bankingprofits, according to a McKinsey & Co. report, banks may notlove being relegated to mere factories for mortgages and creditcards.

And because Amazon wouldn’t have to pay to lure customers -- italready has millions of them -- it could afford to set up digitalaccounts without “all the nuisance fees and relatively high minimumbalances” that lenders impose, du Toit said. That would appeal toyoung consumers who are most likely to try new things, he said.

It helps that Amazon is well regarded by consumers. Asked torank the trustworthiness of financial and tech institutions, surveyrespondents typically listed banks highest, followed by PayPalHoldings Inc. and Amazon. Apple, Google and Microsoft Corp. camenext, beating social media.

“It’s just a matter of time before we see the big tech playersenter retail banking in the U.S.,” du Toit said. “You’re going tosee a Darwinian battle between banks and tech firms, and somesurprising combinations on how they get to market.”

Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.