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Maybank and PETRONAS shine as Malaysia’s representatives on the global stage

22 January 2025
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Their combined brand value moves the country up two places to rank 20th in Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 report

  • Maybank achieves a milestone with its re-entry into the global ranking after five years
  • PETRONAS marks 14th consecutive year in the ranking
  • Apple is once again the world’s most valuable brand, with Microsoft and Google claiming 2nd and 3rd

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 January 2025 – Maybank (brand value up 52% to USD5.2 billion) made a remarkable re-entry into the global ranking of the world’s 500 most valuable brands, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.

Largely driven by its customer-centric and digital innovation strategies, this growth is also reflected in Maybank’s financial performance, supported by solid results in net income, return on equity and net profit.

According to Brand Finance’s market research, Maybank’s implementation of the ‘M25+’ strategy in 2023 have boosted the brand’s familiarity, assurance, and appeal. The bank’s strategic thrusts under its M25+ plan includes enhancing digital capabilities, identifying new value drivers for business growth, and championing sustainable practices, among others.

Maybank secured the 97th position among the top global brands for Brand Strength Index (BSI), achieving an impressive score of 85.8 out of 100 and earning an AAA brand strength rating.

Meanwhile, as the long-standing Malaysian brand in the global ranking, PETRONAS (brand value down 1% to USD14.4 billion), continues to demonstrate resilience. The national brand ranks 160 among the world’s 500 most valuable brands this year, maintaining an AAA- brand strength rating, despite a slight decline of four points in its Brand Strength Index (BSI) score to 84 out of 100.

Brand Finance’s research reveals that PETRONAS is perceived as both trustworthy and a value for money brand, reinforcing its position as a pillar in the region’s energy sector.

Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance commented:

"Maybank’s re-entry into the Global 500 rankings reflects the success of their M25+ strategy, which has significantly enhanced the brand’s appeal. At the same time, PETRONAS continues its dominance in the global rankings by maintaining its position as the region’s most valuable oil & gas brand for 14 consecutive years. Their continued growth highlights Malaysia's ability to innovate and lead in an ever more competitive market."

Global Insights: Apple, Microsoft, and e& Lead the Charge

The strong performance of ASEAN brands aligns with global trends highlighted in the Brand Finance Global 500 2025 ranking. Apple is once again the world’s most valuable brand, with its brand value rising 11% to USD574.5 billion. This growth keeps Apple ahead of its closest rival, Microsoft, whose brand value grew 35% to USD461 billion. Except for 2023, when Apple briefly trailed Amazon by a margin of just 1%, it has held the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand since 2021. Google, the world’s third most valuable brand, saw its brand value increase by 24% to USD413 billion. Ongoing investments in AI have enhanced Google’sreputation for innovation whilestrengthening its consumer appeal and trust.

Meanwhile, e& recorded a staggering 701% growth in brand value, reaching USD15.3 billion, driven by a unified brand identity and global expansion. WeChat retained its title as the world’s strongest brand, achieving an unrivalled brand strength index score of 95.2 out of 100.

These results underscore the enduring power of strong branding in driving growth and resilience, both in ASEAN and globally.

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Media Contacts

Gayathri Saravana Kumar
Marketing Director - Asia Pacific
Brand Finance

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 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.

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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