The following is excerpted from the question-and-answer section of the transcript.
(Questions from industry analysts are provided in full, but answers are omitted - download the transcript to see the full question-and-answer session)
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: <_ALACRA_META_ABSTRACT>So, I guess we can jump right into it. Maybe we'll just start with an update on Consumer. That's probably top of mind for many
investors. Amex Consumer Billings growth has been pretty resilient this year in spite of the uncertain macro. It was up 7% FX-adjusted
through the first half of 2025 compared to 7% for fiscal year '24. So, how is the consumer shaping up so far in the third quarter?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. That's great to hear. So, let's turn to Commercial. Can you maybe just update us on the trends you're seeing in the Commercial
in particular, SME, that's been in a soft spot for a while. Any idea what that segment needs to see to lap some of that softness?
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. That's helpful. Maybe we just touch on International. That's been a bright spot for Amex. That segment was about 25% of
Billed Business last quarter. It's been growing double digits and outpacing other segments. Can you just talk about the drivers of
success in that segment? And how sustainable the growth is?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. Okay. Maybe digging a little deeper, what countries are you seeing the strongest growth? And what about your strategy is
helping differentiate Amex? And then how do you expect the growth trajectory to shape up moving forward? Any medium-term
goal post you have in mind?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. That's helpful. Maybe just touch on revenue growth in the guide. You've guided to 8% to 10% revenue growth for the year.
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. And what about the aspirational 10% revenue growth that you put out there? Looking out long term, what do you really need
to see for Amex potentially hit that aspirational goal?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. That's great to hear. We'll switch gears and maybe just address competition. There are a number of announcements this year,
Chase Sapphire Reserve got refreshed. Citi effectively re-entering the market with the Strata Elite.
Obviously, Capital One recently closed the Discover acquisition. TBD what they do with Venture X. How would you characterize the
competitive environment, particularly for premium cards? It certainly feels like it's the first time in a decade that the premium card
space has been this competitive?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. The product refresh cycle has been a crucial part of Amex's strategy. You refreshed Delta and Gold last year. As you mentioned,
Platinum Card to be refreshed in a few weeks. Can you maybe just talk about your learnings from the Delta and Gold refreshes last
year?
And then how you're approaching Platinum refresh this year? And then more importantly, how do you position the Platinum Card
relative to the other products out there?
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. Maybe this is a good point to pause for audience response question. Can you just queue that up, operator? If everyone can
just use the controllers to register your response.
Question is: which premium credit card do you have at the top of your wallet? one, American Express; two, Capital One Venture X;
three, Chase Sapphire Reserve; four, Citi Strata Elite; or five, none of the above, other?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Platinum at almost 40% followed by Chase Sapphire Reserve, okay, and then 25% other.
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Yes.
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: I will next year. Maybe just talk about how you continue to differentiate the value prop for product like Platinum and also how you
think about that ability to price given the competitive landscape?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. American Express has gained traction with Millennials and Gen Z. These two cohorts have been the big driver of your card
acquisitions, making up 60% of new accounts and 75% of Platinum and Gold new accounts. As we kind of think about the TAM, and
the market share of those two cohorts, how penetrated are you? And what's the runway for growth?
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Great. And as you evolve the benefits of the premium cards in recent years to cater to the younger generations, how do you kind of
find a balance and not lose appeal to the older generations? [The Gen X](corrected by company after the call) and Baby Boomers
are still about 65% of total Consumer Billings.
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Got it. That's helpful. Maybe would just turn to lending and credit. NII growth continues to be robust. It was up 12% year-over-year
last quarter. You had mentioned a big driver is the increased margin on lending. Can you just talk about what you've done to improve
the margin? And how much more room is there for you to kind of expand it?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. Great. And then when we think about credit performance, Amex leads the industry, your delinquency rates are below
pre-pandemic levels and the outperformance relative to the rest of the industry has been widening. So, one driver is clearly the focus
on the Premium segment. But aside from that shift, what else have you done on the tech side and the underwriting side to kind of
help sustain that?
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. Great. Maybe we'll just pause and queue up those last two ARS questions. So first one, do you expect 2026 FX adjusted revenue
growth to be: one, 7% to 8%; two, 8% to 9%; three, 9% to 10%; or four, 10% or higher?
So majority, 52% at 8% to 10% -- 8% to 9%.
Okay. Next question. And then over the next year, would you expect to position in Amex to: one, increase; two, decrease; three, stay
the same?
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SEPTEMBER 09, 2025 / 1:00PM, AXP.N - American Express Co at Barclays Global Financial Services Conference
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Good. 46% increase, 42%, stay the same. So pretty bullish. So, we have about 3 minutes left. I'll just open it up to the audience if
there are any questions. We have one upfront here. You're going to get a mic.
Unidentified Participant
I just wanted to see if you could provide any more color around -- you highlighted in the Gold and the Delta refreshes that the
number of accounts went up 10% over two years. I think you said fees went up 60% and total revenue up 30% on those two categories
over two years, right?
But -- and the retention was 98%. But then you failed to mention what did VCE go up, like the expenses associated with that. I mean
-- and I know I've talked about this before, but if you're offering people $400 worth of value, I know you're not paying for all of it, but
you're paying for some of it. And yet you're only increasing the card fee by $75.
Can you just talk a little bit about when you do these refreshes, does profitability also go up? And because that was the piece that
you sort of left out.
Question: Terry Ma, CFA - Barclays Services Corp - Analyst
: Okay. I think we're out of time with that. So, thank you.
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