VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

American Express Company vs Wise plc

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

American Express Company

AXP · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$218.3B
Gross margin (TTM)83.5%
Operating margin (TTM)20.7%
Net margin (TTM)13.6%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-30
Moat score
52/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into American Express Company's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AXP analysis

Wise plc

WISE · London Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$14.1B
Gross margin (TTM)56%
Operating margin (TTM)32.2%
Net margin (TTM)23.5%
SectorFinancials
IndustryInformation Technology Services
CountryGB
Data as of2026-04-24
Moat score
57/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Wise plc's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WISE analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Wise plc leads (57 / 100 vs 52 / 100 for American Express Company).
  • Segment focus: American Express Company has 4 segments (47.5% in U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)); Wise plc has 2 segments (74.7% in Personal international account and cross-border transfers).
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Competitive. Pricing power: n/a vs Weak.
  • Moat breadth: American Express Company has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Wise plc has 6 across 5.

Primary market context

American Express Company

U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)

Market

U.S. premium consumer card issuing (charge and credit) and attached consumer banking and financing

Geography

United States

Customer

Consumers

Role

Issuer (proprietary cards) and consumer lender/services

Revenue share

47.5%

Wise plc

Personal international account and cross-border transfers

Market

Personal cross-border money movement, international account, card and multi-currency balance services

Geography

Global, across more than 160 countries and 40 currencies

Customer

Consumers, expatriates, travellers, migrants, freelancers and internationally active individuals

Role

Digital cross-border transfer, account, card, FX conversion and balance-management provider

Revenue share

74.7%

Side-by-side metrics

American Express Company
Wise plc
Ticker / Exchange
AXP - New York Stock Exchange
WISE - London Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$218.3B
$14.1B
Gross margin (TTM)
83.5%
56%
Operating margin (TTM)
20.7%
32.2%
Net margin (TTM)
13.6%
23.5%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Credit Services
Information Technology Services
HQ country
US
GB
Primary segment
U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)
Personal international account and cross-border transfers
Market structure
Competitive
Competitive
Market share
n/a
4.5%-5.5% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
n/a
Weak
Moat score
52 / 100
57 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Financial, Network
Supply, Demand, Financial, Network, Legal
Last update
2025-12-30
2026-04-24

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand Trust

American Express Company strengths

Switching Costs GeneralLong Term ContractsCost Of Capital AdvantageTraining Org Change CostsEcosystem ComplementsTwo Sided NetworkData Network Effects

Wise plc strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostFloat PrepaymentInteroperability HubData Workflow LockinCompliance Advantage

Segment mix

American Express Company segments

Full profile >

U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)

Competitive

47.5%

Commercial Services (CS)

Competitive

23.9%

International Card Services (ICS)

Competitive

17.3%

Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS)

Oligopoly

11.3%

Wise plc segments

Full profile >

Personal international account and cross-border transfers

Competitive

74.7%

Wise Business and Wise Platform

Competitive

25.3%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

View expansion-stage stocks

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.