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Brand Finance Italy 100 2026: Italian brands up 1%, as as weaker luxury performance tempers growth

14 April 2026
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New Brand Finance data reveals that Generali leads this year’s ranking, followed by Ferrari and Intesa Sanpaolo

  • Italy’s fashion sector is the largest contributor to the ranking’s total brand value at 20%
  • Miu Miu records the sharpest rise in the ranking, climbing an impressive 29 places, making it the standout mover this year
  • Italian brands report strong leadership, with nine of 15 sector leaders achieving the highest AAA+ brand strength rating

MILAN, 14 April 2026 – Italy’s top 100 brands have maintained their overall brand value stability with a slight 1% uptick in 2026, according to the Italy 100 2026 report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. While positive in absolute terms, Italy trails other major European markets, with Germany up 8%, the UK 6%, and Spain 11%.

Generali retains the top position with a brand value of EUR15.8 billion after a 4% increase. This is a clear indicator of its branding’s strategic weight: as of 1 January 2026, Generali’s brand value represented 31% of the Group’s total market capitalisation.

Overall growth is primarily constrained by the fashion sector, which accounts for 20% of this year’s total brand value Brand Finance’s market research data highlights a dip in Gucci and Prada’s brand strength in late 2025, which translated into lower ratings and, ultimately, lower brand values. As a result, Gucci slips from third to fifth place. In contrast, Miu Miu records the strongest climb in the ranking, rising 29 positions from 2025 to rank 48th.

Growth is led by banks, food, and utilities. Intesa Sanpaolo rises 11% to EUR10.8 billion (third overall), while UniCredit grows 16%, moving from 14th to 10th place. Enel increases 9% to EUR10.4 billion to place fourth in the ranking. Ferrari holds second place at EUR12.5 billion, underlining how exceptional brand strength can buffer performance even in tougher market conditions.

Brand Finance also reports strong brand leadership across sectors: nine out of 15 sector leaders achieve the top AAA+ rating in the Brand Strength Index, including Intesa Sanpaolo, Ferrari, Armani, Nutella, Enel, Lavazza, Campari, Pirelli, and Peroni.

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Media Contacts

Lorenzo Coruzzi
Valuation Director
Brand Finance
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About Brand Finance

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.

Definition of Brand

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

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 Valuation Approach

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.

Disclaimer

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.

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