American Express Middle East
American Express Middle East (AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (C)) is a Bahrain-incorporated regional subsidiary of American Express Company, issuing personal and corporate credit cards, corporate travel solutions, and merchant services across the UAE under the americanexpress.ae domain.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersManama, Bahrain
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What American Express Middle East does
American Express Middle East operates as AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (C), a Bahrain-incorporated regional subsidiary of American Express Company (NYSE: AXP). The entity serves the UAE market under the americanexpress.ae domain, offering personal credit cards (including The Platinum Card and Virtual Card), corporate cards, and TMC Solutions for business travel management. Supporting features include the Membership Rewards points programme, Plan It installments, contactless NFC payments, SafeKey 3-D Secure authentication, Amex Offers merchant discounts, Amex Experiences events, and the AMEX MENA App for iOS and Android.
The underlying technology stack combines conventional card payment processing with NFC contactless capability, a proprietary mobile banking app, and the SafeKey fraud-protection authentication layer. The portfolio functions as a platform: card products serve as the foundation, augmented by loyalty, security, and merchant-engagement modules that increase switching costs and ecosystem lock-in for cardmembers.
The company monetises through four primary streams: interchange transaction fees on merchant payments, recurring annual/membership fees on personal and corporate cards, Amex Offers co-branded promotional fees from merchants, and corporate card services including TMC integrations. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer acquisition (website and mobile app applications) with enterprise field sales for corporate accounts. Primary customer segments are individual consumers and business/corporate clients, with merchants forming a secondary segment. The legal entity holds a portfolio of registered trademarks in the UAE covering core brand assets (AMERICAN EXPRESS, CENTURION, PLATINUM) and product marks (Membership Rewards, SafeKey, Plan It). Revenue, headcount, and financial figures for the regional entity are not publicly disclosed.
American Express Middle East firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Express Middle East
- Legal name
- AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (C)
- Website
- https://americanexpress.ae
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- American Express Middle East (AMEX (Middle East) B.S.C. (C)) is a Bahrain-incorporated regional subsidiary of American Express Company, issuing personal and corporate credit cards, corporate travel solutions, and merchant services across the UAE under the americanexpress.ae domain.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Express Middle East industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Credit Card Services
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International / Global Card Schemes (FSAMAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Commercial & Corporate Card Schemes (FSAMAAAF), Co-Branded Card & Card-Linked Offers Enablement (Issuer/Network Integrations) (THALAKAI)
Keywords
Where American Express Middle East is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manama
- HQ country
- Bahrain
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Express Middle East business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Credit Card Transaction Fees: American Express charges merchants a percentage fee for each transaction processed on its network. As a charge card and credit card issuer, Amex earns interchange fees from merchants on every card payment.
- Annual/Membership Fees: Cardmembers pay annual fees for premium card products like The Platinum Card and other credit card offerings, generating recurring revenue from card memberships.
- Amex Offers: Co-branded promotional offers with merchants where American Express earns fees from participating merchants for exclusive cardmember deals and discounts.
- Corporate Card Services: Business payment solutions including corporate cards, expense management, and TMC solutions generating fees from corporate clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Personal Credit Cards - Various tiers from entry to premium |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
American Express Middle East product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Express Middle East issues and distributes American Express-branded personal and corporate charge and credit cards in the Middle East (primarily UAE), along with merchant payment acceptance services. The company operates the Membership Rewards® loyalty programme, a corporate card expense management solution, TMC (Travel Management Company) solutions, and supporting digital tools including the AMEX MENA mobile app, Virtual Card, contactless payments, SafeKey® authentication, and Plan It® installments.
Product overview
American Express Middle East operates as a financial services company offering a comprehensive suite of credit and charge card products across personal and corporate segments. The core offering consists of personal Credit Cards (including The Platinum Card as a premium tier and Virtual Card as a digital option) and Corporate Cards for business use. These are supported by the Membership Rewards Program as the primary loyalty mechanism. The portfolio includes supplementary services such as Plan It (installment payments), Amex Offers (merchant discounts), Amex Experiences (event access), and SafeKey (secure authentication). The company provides an AMEX MENA App for mobile account management and offers TMC Solutions for travel management integration with corporate cards. The architecture functions as a platform-based model where the card products serve as the foundation, augmented by add-on features and services that enhance value for cardmembers and merchant partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Personal Credit Cards
Companies that use American Express Middle East
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
American Express Middle East technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
American Express Middle East partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
American Express Middle East competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Visa: Global card network operating across consumer, commercial, and merchant acceptance — directly competing with Amex for cardmember share and merchant volume, including in MENA. Both are open-loop international card schemes; Amex uniquely also issues, but their products compete head-to-head for the same wallets and merchants.
- Mastercard: Global card network with strong MENA presence across personal, corporate, and merchant solutions. Competes directly with Amex on acceptance breadth, co-branded partnerships, and corporate-card programs, and also issues cards via partner banks.
- First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB): UAE's largest bank, issuing personal and corporate credit cards with rewards programs, travel benefits, and merchant services. Competes directly with Amex on premium UAE cardholders and corporate expense management.
- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB): UAE bank offering personal credit cards and corporate card programs with rewards, travel, and lifestyle benefits. A regional direct competitor on both consumer and corporate card value propositions.
- Mashreq: UAE-headquartered bank with a strong credit-card portfolio targeting affluent consumers and corporate clients, including premium rewards cards. Operates in the same MENA card-issuing and merchant-acquiring segments.
- Emirates NBD: Leading UAE bank issuing a full suite of personal credit cards and corporate cards, including premium tiers with travel and lifestyle benefits. A directly comparable regional card issuer competing for the same UAE consumer and corporate wallet share.
- HSBC Middle East: Major MENA retail and commercial bank offering credit cards, corporate cards, and TMC-adjacent services. Targets similar affluent consumer and corporate segments in UAE, competing on rewards, travel benefits, and expense management.
- Citibank (MENA): Issuer of premium credit cards and corporate cards in the UAE and broader MENA. Directly comparable to Amex Middle East on personal-card rewards, travel benefits, and corporate-card expense management offerings in the same market.
Broad incumbents
- Stripe: Global payments infrastructure provider supporting online merchants that accept Amex and other card networks across MENA. While not a card issuer, Stripe's merchant-acquiring and payments-platform capabilities intersect with Amex's merchant services business and shape competitive dynamics for card acceptance.
Emerging players
- Tabby: MENA-headquartered BNPL and consumer payments platform gaining share in online and in-store payments. While not a direct credit-card peer, it competes for the same cardmember wallet — particularly for everyday and installment-based spending — pressuring Amex's transaction-frequency advantage in MENA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Express Middle East social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Express Middle East financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Express Middle East leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
American Express Middle East funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Express Middle East M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Express Middle East
What does American Express Middle East do?
American Express Middle East issues and distributes American Express-branded personal and corporate charge and credit cards in the Middle East (primarily UAE), along with merchant payment acceptance services. The company operates the Membership Rewards® loyalty programme, a corporate card expense management solution, TMC (Travel Management Company) solutions, and supporting digital tools including the AMEX MENA mobile app, Virtual Card, contactless payments, SafeKey® authentication, and Plan It® installments.
Is American Express Middle East a public or private company?
American Express Middle East is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was American Express Middle East founded?
American Express Middle East was founded in 1977. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is American Express Middle East based?
American Express Middle East is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, in the Middle East region.
How does American Express Middle East make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Credit Card Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are annual/Membership Fees, amex Offers and corporate Card Services.
Who are American Express Middle East's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Visa, Mastercard, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Mashreq, Emirates NBD, HSBC Middle East and Citibank (MENA). Stripe is listed as a broad incumbent. Tabby is listed as an emerging player.
Does American Express Middle East have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Express Middle East.
What industry is American Express Middle East in?
American Express Middle East's product category is Credit Card Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAAAD, International / Global Card Schemes, with a secondary code of FSAMAAAF, Commercial & Corporate Card Schemes. Its NAICS code is 522210.