American Express vs HDFC Bank: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
American Express reported $72.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $10.8B of net income. HDFC Bank reported ~$32.9B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$8.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
American Express
- Latest revenue
- $72.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $10.8B
- Net margin
- 15.0%
- Revenue growth
- +8.2% a year, FY2016–FY2025
HDFC Bank
- Latest revenue
- ~$32.9B (FY2026)
- Net income
- ~$8.8B
- Net margin
- 26.8%
- Revenue growth
- +23.5% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Financial summary
American Express
American Express reported $72.2 billion in total revenues net of interest expense for FY2025, up 10 percent, and $10.8 billion of net income, or $15.38 per diluted share. The mix is less fee-only than its premium image suggests: discount revenue on merchant transactions was $37.4 billion, net interest income on card member loans was $17.4 billion, net card fees were $10.0 billion and service fees and other revenue were $7.5 billion. Growth in 2025 came disproportionately from the two smaller lines, with net card fees up 18 percent and net interest income up 12 percent against 6 percent growth in discount revenue. Return on average equity was 33.9 percent, the net write-off rate on consumer and small business loans and receivables was 2.0 percent, and the company declared $3.28 per share in dividends while average diluted shares fell from 713 million to 696 million.
HDFC Bank
For FY2025-26 HDFC Bank reported net revenues of ~$22.2 billion (INR 1,91,218.60 crore) (+13.6%) and standalone profit after tax of ~$8.66 billion (INR 74,671.30 crore) (+10.9%), with net interest margin of 3.34% and gross NPAs of 1.15%. The board recommended a final dividend of INR 13 per share. Q1 FY2026-27 standalone profit was ~$2.21 billion (INR 19,060 crore), up about 5% (around 9.8% excluding one-off items in the prior-year quarter), with net interest income up 7%, deposits of ~$368 billion (INR 31.71 lakh crore) (+14.7%), gross advances of ~$355 billion (INR 30.61 lakh crore) (+15.4%) and a capital adequacy ratio of 19.6%. Margin pressure was the main reason the shares fell after the results.
Revenue and profit by year
American Express
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $72.2B | $10.8B | 15.0% | +9.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $65.9B | $10.1B | 15.4% | +9.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $60.5B | $8.4B | 13.8% | +14.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $52.9B | $7.5B | 14.2% | +24.7% | Source |
| FY2021 | $42.4B | $8.1B | 19.0% | +17.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $36.1B | $3.1B | 8.7% | -17.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $43.6B | $6.8B | 15.5% | +8.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $40.3B | $6.9B | 17.2% | +9.4% | Source |
| FY2017 | $36.9B | $2.7B | 7.5% | +4.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $35.4B | $5.4B | 15.2% | — | Source |
HDFC Bank
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$32.9B | ~$8.8B | 26.8% | +3.8% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$31.7B | ~$8.2B | 25.9% | +19.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$26.5B | ~$7.4B | 28.0% | +102.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$13.1B | ~$5.3B | 40.7% | +24.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$10.6B | ~$4.4B | 41.7% | +16.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$9.1B | — | 0.0% | +16.1% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$7.8B | — | 0.0% | +13.2% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$6.9B | — | 0.0% | +17.1% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$5.9B | — | 0.0% | +19.8% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$4.9B | — | 0.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
American Express
- Discount Revenue (Merchant Fees)~52%
Discount revenue is the fee American Express charges merchants on card transactions. It was $37,401 million in FY2025, up 6 percent, and equalled 2.24 percent of billed business. It remains the largest revenue line and moves with billed business, merchant mix and geography.
- Net Interest Income~24%
Net interest income is earned on card member loans and receivables after funding costs. It was $17,364 million in FY2025, up 12 percent, on a net interest yield of 8.1 percent, helped by growth in revolving balances and by lending features added to charge card products.
- Net Card Fees~14%
Net card fees are the annual fees on consumer, small business and corporate cards. They reached $9,993 million in FY2025, up 18 percent, at an average of $117 per proprietary card in force, driven by new acquisitions on fee-paying products and by the 2025 Platinum refresh.
- Service Fees and Other Revenue~10%
Service fees and other revenue was $7,471 million in FY2025, up 10 percent. It covers network partnership revenue from cards issued by partner banks, foreign currency fees on cross-currency spending, loyalty coalition and merchant service fees, delinquency fees, travel commissions and income from equity method investments.
HDFC Bank
- Net Interest Income
67.3% of net revenues
Spread income from loans, investments, and funding after interest expense.
- Other Income
32.7% of net revenues
Fees, commissions, foreign exchange, derivatives, investment income, and other banking income.
- Digital, Cards, Payments, and Distribution
Embedded in fee income
Transaction, card, payment, wealth, and distribution income tied to customer relationships.
Business model and strategy
American Express
How it makes money
American Express runs a closed-loop payments business: it issues the card, owns the network, underwrites the credit and contracts with the merchant. Visa and Mastercard only move the transaction between an issuing bank and an acquiring bank, so they never see both sides of a purchase.
Growth strategy
Amex's growth strategy is aggressively focused on capturing the next generation of wealthy spenders: Millennials and Gen Z. They have successfully revamped their well-known Platinum and Gold cards with perks tailored specifically for younger demographics (like Uber credits and dining rewards), resulting in rapid growth among younger cohorts.
Competitive advantage
American Express competes on the spending power of its card members rather than on price or ubiquity. Average spending per proprietary basic card member was $25,453 in 2025, which is the argument it makes to merchants who pay a higher discount rate, an average of 2.24 percent of billed business.
HDFC Bank
How it makes money
HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors. Net interest income was roughly two-thirds of FY2025-26 net revenues; the rest came from fees and commissions on cards, payments, third-party distribution and transaction banking, plus treasury and foreign-exchange income.
Growth strategy
Since the July 2023 merger with HDFC Ltd, the strategy has shifted from maximising loan growth to rebuilding the funding mix. Management deliberately let advances grow more slowly than deposits in FY2025 and FY2026 to bring the credit-to-deposit ratio down, then resumed faster lending: gross advances grew 15.4% and deposits 14.7% year on year in Q1 FY2026-27.
Competitive advantage
HDFC Bank's edge is a low-cost retail deposit base gathered through nearly 9,700 branches and DBUs, a long record of tight underwriting (gross NPA ratio of 1.15% at March 2026), and enough digital scale that 98% of financial transactions run online. Salary accounts, credit cards and home loans tie customers into multiple products, which lowers acquisition cost and raises switching friction.
Questions about American Express vs HDFC Bank
Which company has higher revenue — American Express Company or HDFC Bank Limited?
American Express Company reported $72.2B (FY2025), while HDFC Bank Limited reported ~$32.9B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, American Express Company is the larger business, with HDFC Bank Limited reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of American Express Company vs HDFC Bank Limited?
American Express Company's market capitalisation stands at $205.8B, while HDFC Bank Limited's is $118.8B. American Express Company carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to HDFC Bank Limited.
Which is more financially efficient — American Express Company or HDFC Bank Limited?
American Express Company generates $940k / employee in revenue per employee, while HDFC Bank Limited generates $156k / employee. American Express Company shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do American Express Company and HDFC Bank Limited make money?
American Express Company and HDFC Bank Limited generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. American Express Company: American Express runs a closed-loop payments business: it issues the card, owns the network, underwrites the credit and contracts with the merchant. HDFC Bank Limited: HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — American Express Company or HDFC Bank Limited?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, American Express Company trades at 2.8x P/S and HDFC Bank Limited at 3.6x P/S. HDFC Bank Limited commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to American Express Company. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is American Express Company bigger than HDFC Bank Limited?
By last reported revenue, American Express Company ($72.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to HDFC Bank Limited (~$32.9B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the American Express vs HDFC Bank overview