AMERICAN EXPRESS CO
American Express Company (Amex) is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Express Tower, in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan; in 2026, the company announced that it would develop and be the sole occupant of the new 2 World Trade Center skyscraper in the nearby World Trade Center complex.
Basic company information
Each field links to its source. Financial figures retain their reporting periods; background references are identified in the source list.
- Ticker / security symbols
- AXP [1]
- Listing exchanges
- NYSE [1]
- SEC industry
- Finance Services [1]
- Business sectors
- financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding; payment card industry; financial services [2]
- Company / filing name
- AMERICAN EXPRESS CO [1]
- Headquarters location
- New York City [2]
- Business address
- 200 VESEY STREET, 50TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY, 10285 [1]
- Founded
- 1850 [2]
- Legal form
- corporation [2]
- Incorporation jurisdiction
- New York, United States [1]
- Leadership in background record
- Stephen Squeri [2]
- Founders
- William Fargo; John Warren Butterfield; Henry Wells [2]
- Official website
- https://www.americanexpress.com.qa/en-qa/; https://www.americanexpress.com/en-ph/network; https://www.americanexpress.ae/ar-ae/; https://www.americanexpress.ae/en-ae/; https://www.americanexpress.ch/de; https://www.americanexpress.ch/en [2]
- Employees
- 64,000 · reported year 2021 [2]
- Annual revenue
- USD 38,825,000,000 · reported year 2024 [2]
- Fiscal year end
- December 31 (SEC record) [1]
- ISIN (reported securities)
- US0258161092 [2]
- CIK
- 0000004962 [1]
- SIC code
- 6199 [1]
- Country in background record
- United States [2]
Company positioning and business
American Express Company (Amex) is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Express Tower, in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan; in 2026, the company announced that it would develop and be the sole occupant of the new 2 World Trade Center skyscraper in the nearby World Trade Center complex. [3]
Amex is the fourth-largest card network globally based on purchase volume, behind China UnionPay, Visa, and Mastercard. 141.2 million Amex cards were in force worldwide as of December 31, 2023, with an average annual spend per card member of US$24,059. That year, Amex handled over $1.7 trillion in purchase volume on its network. Amex is the 16th largest US bank, with a total of US$270 billion in assets or 1.1% of all assets insured by the FDIC. It is ranked 58th on the Fortune 500 and 28th on the list of the most valuable brands by Forbes. In 2023, it was ranked 63rd in the Forbes Global 2000. American Express National Bank is a direct bank owned by Amex. [3]
Founded in 1850 as a freight forwarding company, Amex introduced financial and travel services during the early 1900s. It developed its first paper charge card in 1958, gold card in 1966, green card in 1969, platinum card in 1984, and Centurion Card in 1999. The "Don't Leave Home Without It" advertising campaign was introduced in 1975 and renewed in 2005. In the 1980s, Amex acquired and then divested a stake in Shearson. In the 1990s, it stopped reducing interchange fees for merchants who exclusively accepted Amex cards and expanded market share through targeted marketing campaigns. Amex converted to a bank holding company during the 2008 financial crisis. Amex began operating airport lounges in 2013, offering access to certain cardholders. [3]
Background text: Wikipedia contributors, American Express. Selected introductory paragraphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official filing data is cited separately.
Management and corporate governance
The Wikidata background record identifies Stephen Squeri in the chief-executive role. This background entry is not an official confirmation of the current board or executive roster. [2]
Understanding company scale
Employees: 64,000 · reported year 2021. [2]
Annual revenue: USD 38,825,000,000 · reported year 2024. [2]
Financial year, securities and disclosures
The SEC submissions record gives AMERICAN EXPRESS CO a fiscal year end of 1231 (MMDD). Individual filings below identify their own reporting period; the filing date is the publication event, not the financial year end. [1]
Listed securities: AXP (NYSE). Multiple symbols may represent different share classes or securities of the same registrant. [4]
History and key events
Financial results and regulatory disclosures
Annual, quarterly and current reports from the collected SEC record. Insider Forms 4 and 144 are excluded. This is a selected list, not a live filing feed.
Source-verified relationships
Companies in the same industry
Comparison candidates share the SEC SIC classification 6199. This does not imply ownership, partnership or trading relationships.
Related entities and concepts
Frequently asked questions
When was AMERICAN EXPRESS CO founded?
Founded: 1850. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
Where is the headquarters of AMERICAN EXPRESS CO?
Headquarters location: New York City. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
Which business sectors are recorded for AMERICAN EXPRESS CO?
Business sectors: financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding; payment card industry; financial services. The linked source provides the background record. [2]
AMERICAN EXPRESS CO relationship map
Select a node to inspect its relationship and source.
2 verified direct relationships. Industry peers are not relationship edges.
Sources and review dates
- SEC — AMERICAN EXPRESS CO filing identity and securities ↗
- Wikidata — company background record (CC0) ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — American Express (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
- SEC securities directory ↗
- Company chronology / filing ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Financial periods and historical event dates are shown separately. Figures reflect their stated source dates; this page is not a live quote or investment recommendation.