Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) vs American Express Company (AXP) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | AXP | 10.1% revenue growth vs CURR's -12.8% |
| Value | AXP | Better valuation composite |
| Quality / Margins | AXP | 13.7% net margin vs CURR's -85.0% |
| Stability / Safety | CURR | Beta 0.57 vs AXP's 1.35 |
| Dividends | AXP | 0.9% yield; 14-year raise streak; CURR pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | CURR | +7.7% vs AXP's +3.7% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | AXP | 3.5% ROA vs CURR's -39.2% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Currenc Group operates a fintech banking platform focused on cross-border financial services. It generates revenue primarily from remittance services — facilitating international money transfers — along with sales of mobile airtime top-ups and other financial services. The company's advantage lies in its specialized platform serving the Asian remittance market, particularly connecting Singapore with regional economies.
American Express is a global payments and financial services company that issues charge and credit cards to consumers and businesses. It generates revenue primarily from discount fees charged to merchants — typically 2-3% of transaction value — and cardmember fees, with additional income from interest on revolving balances and travel services. Its key competitive advantage is its premium brand positioning and closed-loop network — which allows it to control both card issuance and merchant acceptance while collecting rich transaction data.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
AXP leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). CURR leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
AXP is the larger business by revenue, generating $74.2B annually — 1598.0x CURR's $46M. AXP is the more profitable business, keeping 13.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to CURR's -85.0%.
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $46M | $74.2B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$11M | $15.2B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$34M | $10.5B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $2M | $18.9B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +31.4% | +81.9% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -59.0% | +17.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -85.0% | +13.7% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +6.2% | +16.4% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +139.7% | +18.6% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $160M | $212.8B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $119M | $223.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -2.03x | 22.03x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 17.58x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 1.85x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 15.33x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 3.45x | 2.87x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 7.28x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 55.72x | 17.53x |
Profitability & Efficiency
AXP delivers a 32.5% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $33 in annual profit, vs $-138 for CURR. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), AXP scores 7/9 vs CURR's 6/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -138.2% | +32.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -39.2% | +3.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +12.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | — | +11.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 1.69x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$41M | $10.5B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $64M | $40.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $22M | $51.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -10.70x | 1.64x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in AXP five years ago would be worth $23,155 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $16,855 for CURR. Over the past 12 months, CURR leads with a +7.7% total return vs AXP's +3.7%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors CURR at 146.8% vs AXP's 22.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +10.3% | -16.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +7.7% | +3.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +1403.6% | +82.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +68.5% | +131.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +2.0% | +491.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +146.8% | +22.2% |
Risk & Volatility
CURR is the less volatile stock with a 0.57 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than AXP's 1.35 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. AXP currently trades 79.7% from its 52-week high vs CURR's 44.7% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.57x | 1.35x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $4.68 | $387.49 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $0.33 | $220.43 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +44.7% | +79.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 62.8 | 42.2 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 184K | 2.4M |
Analyst Outlook
Consensus price targets imply 67.5% upside for CURR (target: $4) vs 21.3% for AXP (target: $375). AXP is the only dividend payer here at 0.91% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | CURRCurrenc Group, In… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $3.50 | $374.58 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 56 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +0.9% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | 14 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $2.80 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +2.8% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) | 100 | 70.87 | -29.1% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 100 | 309.85 | +209.9% |
American Express Co… (AXP) returned +132% over 5 years vs Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR)'s +69%. A $10,000 investment in AXP 5 years ago would be worth $23,155 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) | $183430.00 | $46M | +25214.8% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | $34.4B | $74.2B | +115.8% |
Currenc Group, Inc.'s revenue grew from $0M (2015) to $46M (2024) — a 84.9% CAGR. American Express Company's revenue grew from $34.4B (2015) to $74.2B (2024) — a 8.9% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) | -8.7% | -85.0% | -872.7% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 15.0% | 13.7% | -9.1% |
Currenc Group, Inc.'s net margin went from -9% (2015) to -85% (2024). American Express Company's net margin went from 15% (2015) to 14% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 8 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 33.4 | 21.2 | -36.5% |
American Express Company has traded in a 12x–33x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~22x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) | -0.06 | -1.03 | -1504.4% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 5.05 | 14.02 | +177.6% |
Currenc Group, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.06 (2015) to $-1.03 (2024). American Express Company's EPS grew from $5.05 (2015) to $14.02 (2024) — a 12% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Currenc Group, Inc. generated $3M FCF in 2024 (-75% vs 2021). American Express Company generated $12B FCF in 2024 (-7% vs 2021).
CURR vs AXP: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is CURR or AXP a better buy right now?
American Express Company (AXP) offers the better valuation at 22.0x trailing P/E (17.6x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate American Express Company (AXP) a "Hold" — based on 56 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — CURR or AXP?
Over the past 5 years, American Express Company (AXP) delivered a total return of +131.5%, compared to +68.5% for Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR). A $10,000 investment in AXP five years ago would be worth approximately $23K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AXP returned +491.2% versus CURR's +2.0%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — CURR or AXP?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Currenc Group, Inc. (CURR) is the lower-risk stock at 0.57β versus American Express Company's 1.35β — meaning AXP is approximately 137% more volatile than CURR relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — CURR or AXP?
American Express Company (AXP) is the more profitable company, earning 13.7% net margin versus -85.0% for Currenc Group, Inc. — meaning it keeps 13.7% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: AXP leads at 17.4% versus -59.0% for CURR. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AXP leads at 81.9%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Is CURR or AXP more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for CURR: 67.5% to $3.50.
06Which pays a better dividend — CURR or AXP?
In this comparison, AXP (0.9% yield) pays a dividend. CURR does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
07Is CURR or AXP better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, American Express Company (AXP) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (0.9% yield, +491.2% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (AXP: +491.2%, CURR: +2.0%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between CURR and AXP?
Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. AXP pays a dividend while CURR does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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