Brand Finance’s Global 500 2026 report reveals six of the region’s top 11 brands are from the banking sector
KUALA LUMPUR, 21 January 2025 – ASEAN brands continue to make their mark globally, with 11 regional brands featured in the Brand Finance Global 500 2026 up from 10 in previous year. According to a new report from Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, the banking sector dominates ASEAN’s representation with six brands, while players from the energy, and leisure & tourism sectors contribute two brands each, alongside one conglomerate brand.
Singapore remains the region’s leader, accounting for four of ASEAN’s top 11 brands in the global rankings, with the remaining seven spread across Malaysia (3), Indonesia (2), Thailand (1) and Vietnam (1).
DBS (brand value up 8% to USD18.6 billion) retains its position as the most valuable brand from the region for the second consecutive year, underpinned by strong financial performance across its core businesses. The bank also ranks among the world’s strongest brands, placing 47th with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 88.5/100 and an AAA brand strength rating.
DBS is joined in the global rankings by several other leading names, including Indonesia’s BRI (brand value down 5% to USD6.9 billion), Singapore’s OCBC Bank (brand value up 7% to USD6.8 billion) and UOB (brand value up 10% to USD6.8 billion), as well as Malaysia’s Maybank (brand value up 4% to USD5.4 billion) and another Indonesian brand Bank Mandiri (brand value down 6% to USD5.2 billion).
Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance commented:
“Banking remains a key driver of ASEAN brands within the Global 500 2026 rankings, led by DBS, BRI and Maybank to name a few. Meanwhile, energy champions like PETRONAS and PTT, along with standout leisure & tourism brands such as Genting, showcase the region’s resilience, legacy, and ability to innovate. These performances highlight how ASEAN companies are combining long-standing strength with strategic growth to compete globally.”
Malaysia’s integrated energy company, PETRONAS (brand value down 4% to USD13.8 billion), continues to demonstrate its enduring global stature. The brand has retained its place in the global ranking for the 17th consecutive year and ranks 185th among the world’s 500 most valuable brands in 2026.
Thailand’s PTT (brand value down 5% to USD8.7 billion), ranked 292nd, also marks a significant milestone in 2026, celebrating a decade-long presence in the global rankings.
For both of the ASEAN energy brands, the decline in brand value was primarily driven by lower average realised prices for crude oil and petroleum products, reflecting softer global oil prices.
In contrast, two leisure & tourism brands from the region recorded standout performances. Marina Bay Sands (brand value up 35% to USD8 billion) surged 91 places to rank 328th globally.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Genting (brand value up 23% to USD6 billion) marks a notable comeback in 2026, re-entering the Global 500 ranking after a six-year absence. The brand also ranks as 18th strongest globally, achieving a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 92.1/100 and earning an AAA+ brand strength rating, underscoring its renewed momentum and global appeal.
Viettel Group (brand value at USD7.9 billion), ranked 332nd, continued its momentum in the Global 500 2026 rankings following strong performance in late 2025, driven by its rapid expansion of 5G infrastructure, surpassing its nationwide 20,000 new 5G base station target ahead of schedule, and building one of Vietnam’s largest 5G networks, as well as growing recognition as a global core network provider.
Global Insights: NVIDIA’s brand now more valuable than Facebook and Walmart; Microsoft closes in on Apple
The strong performance of ASEAN brands aligns with global trends highlighted in the Brand Finance Global 500 2026 ranking.
Apple retains its position as the world’s most valuable brand with a 6% brand value growth to USD607.6 billion. Behind Apple, Microsoft, (Up 23% to USD565.2 billion) Google, (up 5% to USD433.1 billion) and Amazon (up 4% to USD369.9 billion) have retained second, third, and fourth positions in the Global 500 ranking, demonstrating the continued dominance of leading US technology brands.
NVIDIA has climbed four ranks from 2025 to become the world’s fifth-most valuable brand. NVIDIA’s brand value has more than doubled since 2025, rising 110% to USD184.3 billion, reflecting its central role in powering global AI infrastructure.
YouTube has become the world’s strongest brand, with a BSI score of 95.3 out of 100, rising from eighth place in 2025. WeChat has slipped to second place with a BSI score of 95.1 out of 100, while Microsoft climbs eight places to third with 94.7. All three brands, YouTube, WeChat and Microsoft, retain the AAA+ rating, highlighting their enduring strength and global influence.
Revolut has emerged as the fastest growing brand among the world’s 500 most valuable brands.
These results underscore the enduring power of strong branding in driving growth and resilience, both in ASEAN and globally.
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.
