American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), also known as AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card, and traveler's cheque businesses. Amex cards account for approximately 24% of the total dollar volume of credit card transactions in the US.[5][6]

BusinessWeek and Interbrand ranked American Express as the 22nd most valuable brand in the world, estimating the brand to be worth US$14.97 billion.[7] Fortune listed Amex as one of the top 20 Most Admired Companies in the World.[8]

The company's logo, adopted in 1958, is a Roman gladiator[9] whose image appears on the company's travelers' cheques and charge cards. [Source: Wikipedia]