In brief
A Brand Finance report released in Nanning on 31 October 2026 shows the top 500 ASEAN brands increased in value by 8% to $315.6 billion. Banking remains the leading sector, accounting for about $106 billion, while travel and leisure brands and airlines are gaining rapidly. The report highlights growing diversification and cross‑regional opportunities for companies in the bloc.
The total value of the top 500 brands in Southeast Asia’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rose 8 percent year‑on‑year to $315.6 billion in 2026, a figure announced by Brand Finance in a report presented in Nanning, the capital of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on 31 October.
In the report, banking remains the largest sector, contributing $105.9 billion to the region’s brand value. Seventy‑three banks that have been tracked consistently since 2023 added a further $26 billion, representing nearly 60 percent of the total increase among the 378 brands analysed.
A notable shift appears in the travel and leisure space, where brands are gaining ground. Airlines, in particular, emerged as the fastest‑growing major sector among the brands tracked consistently, with a 67 percent increase in brand value since 2023.
Alex Haigh, managing director of Brand Finance Asia Pacific, highlighted the importance of cross‑regional brand strength. “As Chinese and ASEAN companies pursue opportunities across each other’s markets, brand strength will be an important differentiator,” he said.
Companies that invest in reputation, customer relationships and local relevance will be better positioned to build sustainable value beyond their home markets, he added.
The analysis, part of Brand Finance’s annual series of over 100 reports, underscores that while banking continues to dominate ASEAN’s brand value landscape, the region is experiencing broader diversification driven by travel, leisure, and emerging digital services.
Brand Finance, founded in 1996, ranks brands worldwide across various sectors and countries. Its reports are used by corporations and investors to benchmark brand performance and strategic priorities.
Uncertainties remain around how rapidly the diversification trend will continue and how cross‑regional brand strategies will unfold in the near future.
