Tech firms can deliver financial services right where and when they’re needed, says Gerard du Toit, a partner with Bain & Company. Part of that is, yes, data: Google and Facebook know about your recent breakup. They know that a baby is due, that the kids just started college.

They’d probably love to help finance every step of the way, and collect even more data in the process. But new sources of revenue aren’t the main focus right now, Du Toit says.