Amazon's next product may be a checking account
Amazon was creating with a big vision: to offer every type of product to consumers. That may soon include banking services, as well.
Amazon (AMZN) is said to be in talks with large banks such as JPMorgan Chase about creating a checking account-type of service that it would use to target younger customers, according to The Wall Street Journal. Amazon.com didn't immediately return a request for comment.
If successful, the effort could place Amazon's services at the financial heart of American households: their cash flow. Some consumers may not consider an Amazon checking account to be so different from another service already offered by the retail company — its Amazon-branded credit cards. Its combination of a huge customer base and its massive amount of data on spending habits could make it a fearsome competitor in the banking space.
Amazon Prime customers tend to be more receptive to financial services from the company, according to a recent survey from LendEDU. Their survey found that 52 percent of Prime customers would be open to a primary bank account from Amazon, compared with 44 percent of consumers overall.
Nevertheless, the survey found almost 1 in 4 consumers said they'd have less trust in Amazon than in a traditional bank, while only 17 percent said they'd trust Amazon more.
It's important to note that the venture wouldn't include Amazon's transforming into a bank, The Wall Street Journal noted. The talks are still early and it's not clear anything will evolve from the discussions, it added.
Amazon is also interested in offering accounts to people without bank accounts, the report added. That would reach the 7 percent of consumers who are "unbanked," typically poorer families or younger consumers.