American Express suspends operations in Russia and Belarus

The following memo from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stephen J. Squeri was shared today with all American Express colleagues:

„In light of Russia’s ongoing, unjustified attack on the people of Ukraine, I want to update you on the actions we have taken to support our colleagues and customers in the region and provide humanitarian aid to those suffering the effects of this terrible war.

Earlier today, we announced that we are suspending all operations in Russia. As a result, globally issued American Express cards will no longer work at merchants or ATMs in Russia. Additionally, cards issued locally in Russia by Russian banks will no longer work outside of the country on the American Express global network. We are also suspending all business operations in Belarus. This is in addition to the previous steps we have taken, which include halting our relationships with banks in Russia impacted by the U.S. and international government sanctions.

Throughout this crisis and as always, our top priority is the wellbeing of our colleagues. As I shared with you last week, while American Express does not employ anyone directly in Ukraine, we do have hundreds of colleagues in the surrounding countries, and dozens of colleagues in Russia. As the situation continues to escalate, we will keep doing everything in our power to support all of our colleagues throughout the region and take every precaution to ensure their safety.

Over the past few weeks, we have been working hard to back our customers affected by this crisis. For example, we have assisted our customers with travel arrangements to help them evacuate their employees and other stakeholders in affected areas. While this decision may have an impact on our customers, we will continue to do what we can to support them. 

As I wrote to you last week, we have pledged $1,000,000 in aid to organizations that are doing heroic work to provide critical immediate and long-term relief to people in Ukraine and neighboring countries impacted by this crisis. In addition, we are also matching donations from colleagues globally, through the American Express Match program.

One of our company values is to “Do What is Right.” This principle has guided us throughout our history and will continue to do so as we stand by our colleagues, customers, and the international community in hoping for a peaceful resolution to this crisis.”