Brand Finance values OpenAI and Anthropic for the first time in inaugural Technology 100 Journal
LONDON, 26 February 2026 – The total brand value of the world’s top 100 technology brands reaches USD3.7 trillion in 2026, up 15% from USD3.2 trillion in 2025, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. Seven of the 10 most valuable brands in the Brand Finance Global 500 2026 are tech brands, reinforcing the sector’s outsized influence on the global economy.
In the 2026 ranking, 46 U.S. brands collectively account for more than three-quarters of the Technology 100’s total value. Almost 70% of this value is concentrated in just four brands - Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Meanwhile, NVIDIA climbed three spots to fifth place, more than doubling its brand value since 2025 to USD184.3 billion. According to Brand Finance’s 2025 Global Intangible Finance Tracker (GIFT™), NVIDIA overtook Apple and Microsoft to become the company with the highest intangible value globally, highlighting the growing importance of advanced computing and semiconductor-driven innovation in shaping the tech landscape.
Lorenzo Coruzzi, Valuation Director, Brand Finance, commented:
“While electronics and internet platforms remain the largest value pools, semiconductors are the fastest-growing segment, up 56% year on year, as demand for AI compute accelerates. The rise of NVIDIA, alongside substantial gains from Broadcom and AMD, reflects how chipmakers have become the backbone of the AI revolution. At the same time, the strong performances of OpenAI and Anthropic show how platforms are translating compute power into commercial and cultural impact. Together, they illustrate a tech sector where value creation is increasingly anchored in those who control intelligence and the hardware that enables it.”
Soft Power and Tech: Insights from the Global Soft Power Index
The Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index highlights being ‘advanced in technology and innovation’ as a key factor driving a nation’s international influence, investment appeal, and overall Soft Power. In 2026, China overtook Japan to rank first globally in perceptions of technology and innovation, fuelled by its leadership in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and large-scale digital platforms like TikTok and WeChat, which ranked as the world’s sixth- and 11th-most valuable technology brands, respectively.
Mid-sized economies are outperforming expectations in tech perception: Germany (4th), the UK (6th), and Switzerland (10th) are all seen as highly advanced, despite the latter two having no brands in the Technology 100 ranking. The UAE offers a similar example, where strong tech perceptions are driven less by consumer-facing brands and more by ambitious national strategies and infrastructure. The UAE appointed a dedicated Minister of State for AI and introduced a nationwide AI curriculum in public schools, becoming one of the first nations to mandate AI education at a national level.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance, commented,
“The Global Soft Power Index highlights that technological Soft Power is no longer defined purely by the scale of a nation’s tech brands, nor solely by its research capabilities. Rather, influence stems from how effectively countries can convert innovation into trusted systems, visible platforms, and credible national strategies. From the brand-led dominance of the United States to China’s system-wide digital integration and Europe’s scientific excellence, the future of tech power will depend less on who invents first, and more on who embeds innovation into everyday global life in ways that audiences recognise, trust, and recommend for investment.”
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.
