Brand Finance’s data reveals the Middle East recorded 17% growth in disclosed intangible value in 2025
LONDON, 13 November 2025 – In 2025, the value of intangible assets owned by the world’s largest companies has reached USD97.6 trillion, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. This represents a 23% increase from 2024, now reaching its highest level since Brand Finance began tracking it in 1996.
The Brand Finance methodology relies on the enterprise value of firms to determine implied intangible asset value because most intangible asset value is not reported by the owner companies. This lack of reporting is why 83% of estimated total global intangible asset value is unaccounted for in company financial reports.
Every year, the Brand Finance Global Intangible Finance Tracker (GIFT™) report tracks the value of the world’s largest companies by intangible asset value. Intangible assets are identifiable, non-monetary assets without physical substance. Intangible assets can be grouped into three broad categories: rights (including leases, agreements, contracts), relationships (including a trained workforce), and intellectual property (including brands, patents, copyrights).
Brand Finance’s data reveals that the Middle East is the only region to note an increase in disclosed intangible value (up 17%). However, the Middle East simultaneously recorded a decline in undisclosed intangible value, down 6%.
According to Brand Finance’s research data, Saudi Arabian companies account for around two-thirds (66%) of the region’s total intangible value at USD1.6 trillion in 2025, down from USD1.9 trillion in 2024. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) follows with 29%, while Kuwait contributes 4%.
Data from Brand Finance notes that Saudi Arabia’s decline is mainly due to a 16% drop in the intangibility of its oil & gas sector, which makes up 75% of the country’s intangible economy. The Oil & Gas sector is the most intangible sector in Saudi Arabia and the fourth most intangible market in the UAE while globally, it ranks ninth.
Banking is the second biggest source of intangible value in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, contributing 7% and 18% of total intangible value, respectively. In the UAE in particular, total intangible value has almost doubled in the past year (up 95%). This is in line with global sector trends where banking has recorded the largest growth in terms of total intangible value and is now the sector with the eighth-highest intangible value, more than doubling (131%) since 2024 to reach USD5.6 trillion in 2025.
Annie Brown, Valuation Director, Brand Finance commented:
“Record-high global intangible asset value in 2025 underscores the accelerating role of innovation, driving greater investment in intellectual property, data, and brands. That said, notable drops across several sectors like pharma and oil & gas highlight the volatility faced when investing in firms with high intangible exposure. This serves as a reminder that businesses should pay active attention to their intangible assets – among the most powerful drivers of commercial outcomes.”
On a global level, the U.S. has overtaken Denmark to become the most intangible market in the world. The total intangible value of the U.S. market stands at 78%, while Denmark’s intangibility has dropped from 82% in 2024 to 67% in 2025.
Data from Brand Finance reveals that NVIDIA is the company with the highest intangible value globally, increasing 50% to USD4.3 trillion. Moreover, eight of the world’s top 10 companies with the highest intangible value are based in the U.S., with Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet ranked second through fifth for intangible value and as key contributors to the country’s high intangible value.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
