In brief
A Brand Finance report released in Nanning on October 31 announced that ASEAN’s top 500 brands are now worth $315.6 billion, up 8 % from the previous year. Banking, led by 73 banks, still captures the largest share of brand value, but airlines and other travel‑and‑leisure firms have surged, accelerating diversification across the region’s brand landscape.
On Friday, October 31, the British consultancy Brand Finance unveiled a new assessment of ASEAN brand value, revealing that the top 500 brands in the region are now worth a total of $315.6 billion, up 8 percent from 2025, according to a press release issued in Nanning, Guangxi, China.
The report, which tracks 378 brands consistently from 2023 onward, notes that banking remains the dominant sector, contributing $105.9 billion to the total. The 73 banks analysed added $26 billion this year, representing almost sixty percent of the overall increase for the cohort of brands tracked.
Travel Brands Surge
In contrast, travel and leisure firms are quickly gaining foothold in the brand valuation arena. Among the fastest‑growing sectors, airlines alone increased their share by 67 percent since 2023, reshaping the regional brand landscape and signalling a rebound in travel-related consumer demand.
While banking continues to command the largest slice of the market, the swift rise in travel and leisure brands reflects broader diversification in consumer priorities and the expanded reach of ASEAN firms across China and neighbouring markets.
According to Brand Finance’s findings, the shift illustrates a growing heterogeneity in brand value within ASEAN, which is no longer dominated by a single industry but is increasingly shaped by a spectrum of sectors.
Alex Haigh, managing director of Brand Finance Asia Pacific, emphasised that as Chinese and ASEAN companies pursue opportunities across each other's markets, brand strength will become an important differentiator. “Companies that invest in reputation, customer relationships and local relevance will be better positioned to build sustainable value beyond their home markets,” he said.
Companies that invest in reputation, customer relationships and local relevance will be better positioned to build sustainable value beyond their home markets.
Haigh further added that the trend towards diversified brand value underscores the importance of reputation management and local adaptation for firms seeking broader regional influence.
Brand Finance, founded in 1996, publishes over a hundred annual reports that rank brands across sectors and nations, providing industry players with benchmarks for sustainability and competitive advantage in an increasingly interconnected ASEAN economy.
