Today's Edition
DAVOS (ALETIHAD)
Apple is once again the world’s most valuable brand. Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, values Apple’s brand at $574.5 billion for 2025, keeping it ahead of its closest rival, Microsoft, valued at $461 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.
According to Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 research, three out of the five most valuable brands in the world are technology brands:
1. Apple: brand value of USD574.5 billion, up 11% from 2024
2. Microsoft: brand value of USD461.1 billion, up 35%
3. Google: brand value of USD413.0 billion, up 24%
4. Amazon: brand value of USD356.4 billion, up 15%
5. Walmart: brand value of USD137.2 billion, up 42%
This announcement came during a session hosted by the UAE Pavilion as part of its agenda of events held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting 2025 of The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 24.
According to the research, the United Arab Emirates continues to assert its global leadership through the outstanding performance of its companies in the Global 500 2025 research, an annual report highlighting the world's most valuable and strongest brands.
e& achieved exceptional new growth in its brand value, earning the title of the "fastest-growing brand in the world." This ranking reflects a significant eightfold increase in the Group’s brand value compared to last year, with its brand portfolio and investment value exceeding $20 billion in 2025. Additionally, e& secured a position among the top 10 most valuable telecommunications brands globally.
ADNOC maintained its position as the most valuable brand in the UAE for the seventh consecutive year. Remarkably, ADNOC's brand value increased by 25% compared to the previous year, reaching $18.9 billion in 2025. This represents a growth of over 300% since 2017, making it the second most valuable brand in the Middle East.
Emirates maintained its regional and global leadership in brand value within the international aviation sector for 2025. The brand value of the UAE carrier increased by 26.5%, reaching $8.365 billion.
Brand Finance also analysed what brands have grown the most since 2020. While technology is clearly a high-growth sector over the longer term, the depth of Brand Finance data and research provides a revealing and nuanced view. The analysis includes TikTok – although Brand Finance began valuing the brand in 2022, its 79% growth in 4 years puts it in the same league as the other high-growth brands.
1. TikTok/Douyin: brand value of USD105.8 billion, up from USD59.0 billion (in 2022)
2. DraftKings: brand value of USD5.1 billion, up from USD18 million in 2020
3. Fanduel: brand value of USD7.0 billion, up from USD56 million in 2020
4. NVIDIA: brand value of USD87.9 billion, up from USD4.7 billion in 2020
5. AMD: brand value of USD11.0 billion, up from USD1.4 billion in 2020
6. Pinduoduo: brand value of USD13.0 billion, up from USD2.5 billion in 2020
7. BYD: brand value of USD14.0 billion, up from USD3.1 billion in 2020
8. Apple: brand value of USD574.5 billion, up from USD140.5 billion in 2020
9. TSMC: brand value of USD34.2 billion, up from US8.6 billion in 2020
10. Microsoft: brand value of USD461.1 billion, up from USD117.1 billion in 2020
11. Lilly: brand value of USD8.0 billion, up from USD2.1 billion in 2020
American gambling brands DraftKings and Fanduel are cashing in as US legislators and courts legalise online gambling and overturn old laws preventing betting. Semiconductor brands NVIDIA, AMD, and TSMC advance new technologies, while tech giants Apple and Microsoft lead from the front, continuing to innovate from their dominant positions in an evolving and growing market. E-Commerce brand Pinduoduo is following in Apple and Microsoft’s footsteps, investing in an ecosystem that merges social networking with online shopping. Electric vehicle maker BYD and pharmaceutical brand Lilly are meeting the modern demands of evolving consumers.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, commented:
“Our analysis of what brands have grown the most since 2020 reveals that technology companies do not have a monopoly on sustained brand growth. This longer-term view also reinforces another important global trend: how Chinese brands like TikTok, Pinduoduo, and BYD are leading the charge by creating value, and challenging established brand leaders. As China continues to refine its brand-building strategies and focus on quality, we expect to see more Chinese companies enter the global marketplace in 2025.”
Although these brands grew in different ways, generally speaking, their paths over the past five years have been organic and linear. None of the ten brands with the biggest value growth belong to the sector that has added the most value since 2020: Media, up 125%, encapsulating the transformation of media brands from news source to indispensable tools used daily around the world.
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.
Amazon, with a 15% increase in brand value to USD356.4 billion, continues to integrate AI across its operations, from personalised recommendations to advanced logistics. These efforts have solidified its reputation as a customer-focused brand, driving sustained growth.
For the second consecutive year, WeChat is the world’s strongest brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.2 out of 100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. WeChat’s comprehensive ecosystem and seamless integration capability continue to propel the Chinese brand as a global leader.
e& is the fastest growing brand value in the world this year, posting an eight-fold increase in brand value to $15.3 billion. This is the final stage of a 3-year group rebrand, staged to transition brand equity from Etisalat to e& as a platform for international growth. The like for like brand value growth is 13% versus the combined value of the brands in 2024. Nvidia has the highest organic growth - 98% - and is the second fastest growing brand value for 2025.
Global economic growth is expected to remain stagnant at 2.8% in 2025, mirroring 2024 and falling short of the 3.2% pre-pandemic average, according to United Nations forecasts. In contrast, the world’s 500 most valuable brands are thriving, with their total value rising 10% year-on-year, from USD8.6 trillion in 2024 to nearly USD9.5 trillion in 2025, according to Brand Finance data.
Apple leads the way among 193 American brands featured in the ranking, collectively contributing over half of the total. China and Germany follow as the second and third most valuable countries, with 69 and 27 brands respectively, accounting for 15% and 6% of the total brand value. Across sectors, banking leads with 79 brands contributing 13%, followed by retail with 45 brands at 11%. Media ranks third, with 23 brands representing 10%.
Brand Finance is launching the Global 500 at Davos on the 21st of January 2025 in partnership with Infosys, the fastest-growing IT Services brand over the last 5 years.
