American Express has launched a corporate cashback card integrated with an AI-enabled expense management platform for middle-market firms.
The card is the first in its corporate portfolio to come integrated with expense software. The platform runs alongside a dedicated mobile app and targets businesses with annual revenue of between USD 10 million and USD 300 million.
Raymond Joabar, Group President of Global Commercial Services at American Express, said the product is intended to give middle-market companies more control over, and greater transparency into, their expenses.
How the platform works
The software lets finance teams set policies for individual employees or departments. It also captures spending data across cards automatically, aiming to shorten the time needed to close the books. The companion app builds cost reports from card purchases, so employees no longer have to compile them manually. It also checks expenses against company policy and flags any that do not comply.
For employers, the setup provides oversight of how much is being spent and where. Employees gain clearer information on company policies and on spending limits for different categories.
In addition, more features are scheduled for later in 2026. American Express intends to introduce AI agents that can message employees with recommendations about their expenses and answer questions on policies and submission deadlines. Finance teams will be able to ask the agent about company spending and request data analysis. The company also plans to add accounts payable software, so businesses can manage employee expenses and vendor bills in one place. This software will automate invoice intake, approvals, payment, and reconciliation.
Building through acquisitions
The launch follows a series of acquisitions. In April 2025, American Express bought Center, an expense management software platform. Joabar said the current release completes the work of integrating it. In 2026, the company also acquired Hyper, a platform backed by OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman that uses AI agents to carry out routine finance tasks autonomously.
The official added that AI is shortening the company's delivery cycles from quarters to weeks and months. As a result, it is expected that new iterations of the corporate card will arrive more quickly over the next several years.
Competitive pressure from fintechs
The move comes as expense management fintechs challenge card companies that have historically led corporate finance. Ramp, which offers bookkeeping and AI finance tools, announced a funding round in spring 2026 that valued the company at USD 44 billion. Brex, a corporate card and finance software company, was acquired by Capital One for USD 5.15 billion in April 2026.
American Express has taken a measured approach to expanding its corporate business, which has since become a priority for growth. The new platform combines card issuance and policy controls, with accounts payable to follow. This positions the corporate offering more directly against the spend-management services offered by fintech competitors.
