The value of the world’s biggest brands has grown faster this year than in recent years, with the rise of artificial intelligence being the main driver of change. This is according to this year’s Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, which reveals that Google has become the new global number one. Technology firms also dominate the top ten, whilst Chinese brands are gaining significant ground.
According to Kantar, the total value of the 100 most valuable global brands reached a record $13.1 trillion, up 22% year-on-year. For the first time in history, four brands have simultaneously surpassed the $1 trillion mark. Google took first place with a value of $1.5 trillion, followed by Apple ($1.4 trillion), Microsoft ($1.1 trillion) and Amazon ($1 trillion).
Google returned to the top of the rankings for the first time since 2018. Its brand value rose by 57% year-on-year, which Kantar attributes primarily to the integration of the Gemini model into the company’s products, the development of AI features in search, and investments in data centres.
Other AI companies also recorded strong growth. Claude made its debut in the ranking at 27th place with a brand value of $96.6 billion. ChatGPT, according to Kantar, posted the second-highest year-on-year growth in brand value in the history of the ranking, rising by 285%.
“Artificial intelligence is accelerating growth, but at the same time making marketing more complex. Marketers today are working with more signals than ever before, and decisions need to be made faster,” said Martin Guerrieria, Head of Kantar BrandZ. According to him, brands are using AI primarily to make faster decisions and better link data on human behaviour with business results.
The top 20 fastest-growing brands over the past year in the BrandZ ranking; Source: Kantar BrandZ
Growth of Chinese and European brands
Chinese brands are also growing significantly. There are now 23 of them in this year’s global top 100, and their average value has risen by 32% year-on-year. Among the fastest-growing companies are Agricultural Bank of China, Alibaba, Tencent and Xiaomi. Furthermore, Tencent has returned to the top ten of the global ranking after two years.
“With Chinese brands, we see above all speed and the ability to execute. They interpret consumer signals very quickly and respond to them in a disciplined manner,” added Guerrieria.
European brands grew more slowly this year than American technology firms, but on average they increased their value by 14%. Kantar highlights in particular the growth of brands such as SAP, Siemens and Booking.com, which, according to the analysis, are propelling Europe ahead of Asia and North America in the field of business and consumer technologies within the global Top 100.
The media and entertainment segment saw the strongest growth
Companies from the business technology and services sector have the largest representation in the BrandZ Top 100, accounting for a quarter of the total value (26%). Close behind are media and entertainment with 23%, followed by consumer technology and platforms (14%) and retail (12%). Financial services (10%), telecoms operators (4%), fast food (3%) and luxury brands (2%) have a smaller but still significant presence.
The most dynamically growing sector between 2025 and 2026 is clearly media and entertainment, whose brands strengthened by an average of 40%. This result significantly outperforms the second-fastest growing sector – business technologies and platforms (25%) and financial services (20%).
Brand value growth by segment in the BrandZ ranking; Source: Kantar BrandZBrands gaining ground in specific sectors
- Clothing: Zara has become the world’s most valuable fashion brand, overtaking long-standing leader Nike. This confirms its ability to build relevance through personalised shopping experiences supported by artificial intelligence.
- Luxury: Hermès has overtaken Louis Vuitton to become the world’s most valuable luxury brand. According to researchers, this shift reflects a long-term focus on understanding diverse target groups, including through the appointment of British designer Grace Wales Bonner as the first Black woman to head the brand’s tailoring division.
- Financial services: The financial services sector has seen significant growth, driven primarily by the strong performance of traditional banks such as Chase and HSBC.
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TOP 100 Kantar BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands.pdf
T100 Infographic_Kantar BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands.pdf
About the study
Kantar BrandZ is the global standard for brand valuation and quantifies the contribution of a brand to a company’s financial performance. Kantar’s annual global and local brand value rankings combine analysed financial data with extensive brand equity research.
Since 1998, BrandZ has been providing insights into brand building, based on interviews with 4.6 million consumers, across more than 22,000 brands in 54 markets worldwide.
Source: mediaguru.cz