Apple has been named the most valuable brand in the world for the second consecutive year, according to the annual Brand Finance Global 500 report.
The value of the Apple brand increased by 11% over the year, reaching $574.5 billion.
Microsoft secured the second spot in the ranking, showing a 35% rise (to $461.1 billion), followed by Google (+24%, to $413 billion), and Amazon (+15%, to $356.4 billion).
Walmart moved up from sixth to fifth place, with its brand value soaring by 42%, reaching $137.2 billion.
Also in the top ten most valuable brands are Samsung ($110.6 billion), TikTok ($105.8 billion), Facebook ($91.5 billion), Nvidia ($87.9 billion), and State Grid Corporation of China ($85.6 billion). Notably, Nvidia's brand value nearly doubled over the year.
The most valuable brand in Europe is Deutsche Telekom, which ranked 11th overall (+16%, $85.3 billion).
Instagram is in 12th place ($79.9 billion), while Chinese banks ICBC and China Construction Bank took the 13th and 14th spots, respectively, with values of $79.1 billion and $78.4 billion. Another Chinese bank, Agricultural Bank of China, ranked 16th ($70.2 billion), and Bank of China came in 19th ($63.8 billion).
Among Japanese brands, Toyota leads, occupying the 18th position ($64.7 billion, +23%).
The brand e& (formerly Etisalat, an internet provider from the UAE) demonstrated record growth over the past year, increasing eightfold to $15.3 billion. Over five years, the largest gains were shown by DraftKings (up to $5.1 billion from $18 million in 2020) and Fanduel (up to $7 billion from $56 million), thanks to the gradual legalization of online gambling in the U.S.
The top 500 includes 193 American brands, which account for more than half of the total value, the report notes. China is represented by 69 brands, while Germany has 27 (15% and 6% of the total value, respectively).
The combined value of the 500 most valuable brands in the world grew by 10% over the past year, reaching nearly $9.5 trillion, according to Brand Finance.
The ninth annual Brand Finance study includes data on over 6,000 brands from 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. More than 175,000 respondents participated in the survey.