American Express (AMEX) is a multinational financial services corporation that is best known for its credit card, charge card, and traveler's cheque businesses. Founded in 1850, AMEX is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It is also one of the largest card issuers in the world, with over 100 million cards in circulation. AMEX is headquartered in New York City and has operations in more than 130 countries.