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Samsung retains its place in global top ten, reaffirming South Korea’s brand excellence

22 January 2025
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A new Brand Finance report reveals the value of South Korean brands surge globally, led by digital innovation and financial advancements

  • Samsung continues to be the sole South Korean brand in the global top ten, solidifying its status as a source of national pride
  • New entrant from South Korea: Shinhan Financial Group records 44% growth in brand value
  • KB Financial Group is the top South Korean banking brand in the Global 500
  • Apple is once again the world’s most valuable brand, with Microsoft and Google claiming 2nd and 3rd

SEOUL, 22 January 2025 – Samsung Group (brand value up 11% to USD110.6 billion) remains as the sole South Korean brand defending its position in the global top ten for over a decade, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.

The brand achieved a strong Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 89 out of 100, earning a prestigious AAA brand strength rating this year. This remarkable performance further cements its position as South Korea’s most valuable and strongest brand in the global rankings, reflecting its sustained leadership and influence in the global market.

Shinhan Financial Group (brand value up 44% to USD6.3 billion) with an AA+ brand strength rating, is a new entrant in the Brand Finance Global 500 2025 ranking. According to Brand Finance’s market research, the brand’s success is driven by exceptional performance in key metrics such as awareness, consideration conversion, and loyalty. Shinhan Financial Group recorded the highest brand value surge among South Korean brands in the Global 500 ranking.

KB Financial Group (brand value up 35% to USD7.3 billion) is South Korea’s top-ranked banking brand in the global ranking for 2025, climbing an impressive 116 places from the previous year. The brand's significant growth is fuelled by strong performances across crucial metrics, including familiarity and appeal.

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

"Samsung Group’s stellar performance, with an 11% rise in brand value to USD 110.6 billion and its decade-long dominance in the global top ten, solidifies its position as South Korea’s most valuable and strongest brand in 2025. Beyond Samsung’s leadership, the extraordinary ascent of South Korean brands like Shinhan Financial Group and KB Financial Group exemplify the nation’s growing strength in the financial sector, with remarkable gains driven by customer loyalty, awareness, and appeal, setting new benchmarks for growth and industry leadership."

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’s reputation for innovation while strengthening 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.

Meanwhile, Brand Finance’s IT Services 25 2025 report also reveals that Samsung SDS is the sole South Korean IT services brand to feature in the ranking. With a brand value of USD2.2 billion, Samsung SDS ranks as the 14th most valuable brand in the IT Services category. As the sole Korean IT services brand featured in the ranking, it demonstrates the brand’s growing regional and global leadership in the industry.

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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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