American-origin check

Is American Express Co an American company?

Yes — American Express Co is an American company.

American Express Co is incorporated in New York, United States and headquartered in New York, New York. Its legal-entity record reports no foreign parent — the company is independently American-owned.

The evidence

Legal name: AMERICAN EXPRESS CO
Incorporated in: New York, United States
Registered office: NEW YORK, the United States
Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
Ultimate owner: None reported (independent)
Stock listing: NYSE: AXP on NYSE
LEI: R4PP93JZOLY261QX3811
Founded: 1850

Source: GLEIF, the global Legal Entity Identifier registry · checked Jul 26, 2026. A US headquarters or stock listing does not always mean US incorporation — this page reports what the legal-entity registry actually records.

Analysis

## A Straight Answer Yes. [American Express Co](/company/american-express-co/) is an American company, headquartered in New York, New York, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker AXP. It is also included in the americancompanies.com directory of US-based companies, which vets firms for their American headquarters and operations. ## Rooted in New York American Express traces its founding back to 1850, making it one of the older financial names still operating in the United States today. Its headquarters have remained in New York, New York, the city where much of the American financial services industry is anchored. ## From Express Mail to Plastic The company's long history predates the charge cards most people associate with the brand now. Over more than a century and a half, American Express has grown from its 1850 origins into a global financial institution, while keeping its home base in New York. ## Wall Street Credentials American Express went public in June 1972, and its shares have traded on the NYSE ever since under the symbol AXP. That public listing, combined with its New York headquarters, is a clear marker of an American-domiciled, American-headquartered company. ## What American Express Actually Does American Express is a global financial institution operating in about 130 countries. It provides consumers and businesses with charge and credit card payment products, and it also runs a highly profitable merchant payment network that connects businesses accepting its cards. ### Four Business Segments The company organizes its work into four segments: - US consumer services - US commercial services - International card services - Global merchant and network services Beyond payment products, American Express's commercial business also offers expense management tools, consulting services, and business loans to companies. ## Scale Behind the Card American Express operates in the Financial Services industry with a workforce of approximately 76,800 employees. For fiscal year 2025, the company reported revenue of $41.3 billion and net income of $10.8 billion. Its balance sheet carries total assets of $300.1 billion, and its market capitalization stands at $222.6 billion. ## America's Footprint, Global Reach While American Express serves customers in roughly 130 countries through its cards and merchant network, its corporate home has never left New York. That combination—an American headquarters and stock listing paired with a genuinely global customer base—is typical of many large US financial institutions, and American Express is one of the most recognizable examples. ## The Bottom Line Between its 1850 founding, its New York headquarters, its June 1972 debut on the NYSE, and its listing in the americancompanies.com directory of US-based companies, American Express checks every box for being classified as an American company. Its international reach as a card issuer and merchant network operator doesn't change where the business is chartered, run, and traded—New York, New York, on American soil.