The world’s most valuable brands revealed, includes these UAE firms

Apple has once again claimed the title of the world’s most valuable brand, according to Brand Finance’s latest Global 500 2025 report.

The world-leading brand valuation consultancy estimates Apple’s brand value at $574.5 bn for 2025, maintaining its dominance ahead of second-place Microsoft, valued at $461.1 bn.

Apple has held the top spot since 2021, except for 2023 when it briefly trailed Amazon by just 1 per cent.

The research reveals that technology brands continue to lead the charge in global brand value growth, with three tech giants — Apple, Microsoft, and Google — occupying the top five positions.

Brand Finance’s latest findings show the top five most valuable brands in 2025 as follows:

1. Apple – $574.5 bn, up 11 per cent from 2024
2. Microsoft – $461.1 bn, up 35 per cent
3. Google – $413.0 bn, up 24 per cent
4. Amazon – $356.4 bn, up 15 per cent
5. Walmart – $137.2 bn, up 42 per cent

This announcement was made during a session hosted by the UAE Pavilion at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, which runs from January 20 to 24, 2025.

UAE’s most valuable brands

In addition to the top global brands, the UAE continues to assert its global leadership, with several of its companies performing exceptionally in Brand Finance’s rankings.

The telecom giant e& (formerly Etisalat) saw the most significant growth, earning the title of “fastest-growing brand in the world”.

e&’s brand value soared by eight times compared to last year, reaching $15.3 bn. This rapid growth follows a strategic rebranding, transitioning from Etisalat to e&, positioning the group for international expansion.

The company is now among the top 10 most valuable telecommunications brands globally.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) maintained its position as the UAE’s most valuable brand for the seventh consecutive year. ADNOC’s brand value increased by 25 per cent to reach $18.9 bn in 2025, marking a 300 per cent growth since 2017.

Emirates, the UAE’s flagship airline, solidified its leadership in the global aviation sector, with its brand value growing by 26.5 per cent to $8.365 bn.

Chinese tech brands

Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 report also highlighted the significant growth in brand value across multiple sectors. The analysis revealed notable growth in several Chinese and technology brands.

TikTok/Douyin, the popular social media platform, has seen a staggering 79 per cent increase in its brand value since 2020, reaching $105.8 bn in 2025.

Other high-growth companies include:

• TikTok/Douyin – $105.8 bn, up from $59.0 bn (2022)
• DraftKings – $5.1 bn, up from $18 mn (2020)
• Fanduel – $7.0 bn, up from $56 mn (2020)
• NVIDIA – $87.9 bn, up from $4.7 bn (2020)
• AMD – $11.0 bn, up from $1.4 bn (2020)

David Haigh, chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, noted that while technology brands remain the dominant drivers of growth, the past five years have also seen Chinese brands like TikTok, Pinduoduo, and BYD emerge as formidable challengers to established market leaders.

“As China continues to refine its brand-building strategies and focus on quality, we expect more Chinese companies to enter the global marketplace in 2025,” Haigh said.

The Global 500 report also showed that the total value of the world’s 500 most valuable brands has grown by 10 per cent year-on-year, from $8.6tn in 2024 to nearly $9.5tn in 2025. In contrast, global economic growth is projected to remain stagnant at 2.8 per cent, according to the United Nations.

Among the largest markets, the U.S. continues to dominate with 193 brands contributing more than half of the total brand value, followed by China with 69 brands and Germany with 27.

In terms of sectors, banking leads with 79 brands, contributing 13 per cent of the total value, followed by retail with 45 brands at 11 per cent, and media with 23 brands, representing 10 per cent.

Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 report was launched in partnership with Infosys, the fastest-growing IT services brand over the past five years.