LONDON, 20 January 2026 – NVIDIA is the world’s fifth-most valuable brand, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. Its brand value has more than doubled since 2025 (+110%) to USD184.3 billion in 2026, reflecting its central role in powering global AI infrastructure. NVIDIA has climbed four ranks from 2025, overtaking TikTok/Douyin, Walmart, Samsung Group, and Facebook in brand value.
Not all AI brands are rising on the tide. Intel’s brand value slips, down nearly 3% to USD13.9 billion, as NVIDIA and AMD surge. AMD’s brand is now valued at USD19.2 billion, while new entrant to the ranking OpenAI debuts in 178th place with a brand value of USD14.1 billion.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance commented:
“Amid fierce competition to capture value from artificial intelligence innovation, Intel is increasingly perceived as playing catch-up, while the brand values of rivals such as NVIDIA and AMD continue to skyrocket off the back of surging AI demand. This marks a defining moment for Intel: innovate rapidly or risk being left behind. Yet even as brand value comes under pressure, Intel’s brand has strengthened year-on-year. The critical challenge now is translating this strength into tangible performance, or risk losing relevance in 2026’s most significant growth story.”
Global economic growth in 2026 is expected to remain just below 3% in real terms, up marginally from 2.8% in 2025. The total value of the world’s top 500 most valuable brands has increased 11% year-on-year, from USD9.5 trillion in 2025, to USD10.4 trillion in 2026, according to Brand Finance data.
According to Brand Finance’s Global 500 2026 research, Apple retains its position as the world’s most valuable brand, growing 6% to USD607.6 billion. While hardware growth remains measured, services including advertising, cloud, and the App Store continue to strengthen performance, according to the company’s Q4 2025 earnings commentary, supported by steady demand across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
In 2026, the top 10 brands in the Global 500 account for 27% of the ranking’s total brand value, highlighting the continued dominance of leading U.S. tech giants in the global economy. The top 10 brands in the Global 500 account for 27% of the ranking’s total brand value. Six of these are US tech giants, highlighting their continued dominance in global brand value. Behind Apple, Microsoft is the world’s second-most valuable brand, with its brand value up 23% to exceed USD565.2 billion in 2026. Google (up 5% to USD433.1 billion) and Amazon (up 4% to USD369.9 billion) retain third and fourth positions in the Global 500 ranking.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance commented:
“Brand value growth at the top of the Global 500 reflects exceptional stakeholder confidence in brands that drive productivity, efficiency, and long-term innovation. The world’s most valuable brands are overwhelmingly tech-focused or tech-adjacent, from established leaders like Apple, Microsoft, and Google, to newer AI-fuelled powerhouses like NVIDIA. At the same time, the fastest growing brands are digital-first and semiconductor-led, showing how effectively technology leadership can now be converted into sustained brand power. This is a clear reflection of the world we live in today, where advancing technologies continue to redefine competitive advantage."
YouTube has become the world’s strongest brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.3 out of 100, rising from eighth place in 2025. Brand Finance’s research across 10 markets found that in 8 of them, more than 90% of respondents are familiar with YouTube and, 70% of respondents would consider using the platform. This reflects YouTube’s ability to convert widespread awareness into active consideration and global brand equity, driven by its role as a go-to destination for entertainment, learning, and finding online communities. Many of the world’s most valuable brands, including Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s, use YouTube to tell richer brand stories and strengthen their connection with audiences worldwide.
WeChat slips to second place with a BSI score of 95.1 out of 100, while Microsoft climbs eight places to third with 94.7/100. According to Brand Finance data, 38 brands among the Global 500 earned a AAA+ brand strength rating.
UK Fintech brand Revolut has emerged as the fastest growing among the world’s 500 most valuable brands. In 2026, Revolut’s brand value more than tripled, up 239% to USD6.6 billion from USD1.9 billion in 2025. The brand enters the Global 500 ranking for the first time this year (ranked 393rd), reflecting strong revenue growth driven in part by expansion into new markets such as Mexico and India. With a BSI score of 72.6 out of 100, Brand Finance’s market research finds Revolut has exceptionally strong brand advocacy globally, with word-of-mouth scoring 9.2 out of 10.
The 192 American brands featured in the Global 500 2026 ranking collectively contribute more than half of the total brand value. China remains the second-largest contributor, with 68 brands accounting for just over 15%, led by TikTok/Douyin. Germany follows with 26 brands contributing more than 5% of the total brand value, led by Deutsche Telekom, the most valuable telecoms brand in the world, and the only European brand in the global top 20.
Japan and France follow in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Japan’s 33 brands account for just under 5% of total global brand value, while France’s 33 brands contribute slightly over 4%. The United Kingdom ranks sixth, with 25 brands representing 3% of the total value, and the largest number of new entrants in the Global 500.
South Korea and Canada follow, before India ranks ninth globally, with 14 brands featured in the Global 500 2026.
Brand Finance is launching the Global 500 at Davos on the 20th of January 2026 in partnership with Infosys, the fastest growing IT Services brand over the last 6 years.
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, 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.
