What is American Express's business development expense?

American Express (AXP) reported business development expense of $1.59B in Q1 2026.

How has American Express's business development expense changed year-over-year?

American Express's business development expense increased by 4.1% year-over-year, from $1.53B to $1.59B.

What is the long-term trend for American Express's business development expense?

Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), American Express's business development expense has grown at a 14.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $3.76B to $6.46B.

Operating Expenses

Business development expense

American Express Business development expense decreased by 7.9% to $1.59B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 4.1%, from $1.53B to $1.59B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Business development expense shows an upward trend with a 14.5% CAGR.

Analysis

StatementIncome Statement

SectionOperating Expenses

First reportedQ1 2020

Last reportedQ1 2026Apr 23, 2026

Metric ID: axp_business_development_expense

Historical Data

20 periods

	Q2 '21	Q3 '21	Q4 '21	Q1 '22	Q2 '22	Q3 '22	Q4 '22	Q1 '23	Q2 '23	Q3 '23	Q4 '23	Q1 '24	Q2 '24	Q3 '24	Q4 '24	Q1 '25	Q2 '25	Q3 '25	Q4 '25	Q1 '26
Value	$889.00M	$943.00M	$1.13B	$1.04B	$1.40B	$1.19B	$1.30B	$1.39B	$1.39B	$1.39B	$1.48B	$1.39B	$1.43B	$1.43B	$1.64B	$1.53B	$1.59B	$1.61B	$1.73B	$1.59B
QoQ Change	—	+6.1%	+19.6%	-7.5%	+34.6%	-15.0%	+9.0%	+7.0%	-0.4%	+0.4%	+6.5%	-6.1%	+2.5%	+0.2%	+14.5%	-6.6%	+3.9%	+1.4%	+7.3%	-7.9%
YoY Change	—	—	—	—	+57.9%	+26.6%	+15.4%	+33.6%	-1.1%	+16.7%	+13.9%	-0.1%	+2.8%	+2.7%	+10.4%	+9.8%	+11.4%	+12.7%	+5.6%	+4.1%

Range$889.00M – $1.73B

CAGR+13.0%

Avg YoY Growth+13.9%

Median YoY Growth+10.9%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is American Express's business development expense?: American Express (AXP) reported business development expense of $1.59B in Q1 2026.
How has American Express's business development expense changed year-over-year?: American Express's business development expense increased by 4.1% year-over-year, from $1.53B to $1.59B.
What is the long-term trend for American Express's business development expense?: Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), American Express's business development expense has grown at a 14.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $3.76B to $6.46B.