UAE’s global leadership reinforced by strong performance of its firms

The UAE continues to assert its global leadership through the outstanding performance of its companies in the Global 500 2025 research, an annual report highlighting the world’s most valuable and strongest brands, according to the research.

This announcement came during a session hosted by the UAE Pavilion as part of its agenda of events held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting 2025 of The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 24.

e& achieved exceptional new growth in its brand value, earning the title of the “fastest-growing brand in the world. This ranking reflects a significant eight fold increase in the Group’s brand value compared to last year, with its brand portfolio and investment value exceeding $20 billion in 2025.

Additionally, e& secured a position among the top 10 most valuable telecommunications brands globally.

Adnoc maintained its position as the most valuable brand in the UAE for the seventh consecutive year. Remarkably, Adnoc’s brand value increased by 25 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching $18.9 billion in 2025. This represents a growth of over 300 per cent since 2017, making it the second most valuable brand in the Middle East.

Emirates maintained its regional and global leadership in brand value within the international aviation sector for 2025. The brand value of the UAE carrier increased by 26.5 per cent, reaching $8.365 billion.

Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, values Apple’s brand at $574.5 billion for 2025, keeping it ahead of its closest rival, Microsoft, valued at $461 billion. Except for 2023, when Apple briefly trailed Amazon by a margin of just 1 per cent, it has held the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand since 2021. Apple is once again the world’s most valuable brand.

Brand Finance also analysed what brands have grown the most since 2020. While technology is clearly a high-growth sector over the longer term, the depth of Brand Finance data and research provides a revealing and nuanced view. The analysis includes TikTok - although Brand Finance began valuing the brand in 2022, its 79 per cent growth in 4 years puts it in the same league as the other high-growth brands.

According to Brand Finance’s Global 500 2025 research, three out of the five most valuable brands in the world are technology brands. Apple: brand value of $574.5 billion, up 11 per cent from 20242. Microsoft: brand value of 4461.1 billion, up 35 per cent.

Google: brand value of $413.0 billion, up 24 per cent. Amazon: brand value of $356.4 billion, up 15 per cent and Walmart: brand value of $137.2 billion, up 42 per cent.

American gambling brands DraftKings and Fanduel are cashing in as US legislators and courts legalise online gambling and overturn old laws preventing betting. Semiconductor brands NVIDIA, AMD, and TSMC advance new technologies, while tech giants Apple and Microsoft lead from the front, continuing to innovate from their dominant positions in an evolving and growing market. E-Commerce brand Pinduoduo is following in Apple and Microsoft’s footsteps, investing in an ecosystem that merges social networking with online shopping.

Electric vehicle maker BYD and pharmaceutical brand Lilly are meeting the modern demands of evolving consumers.

David Haigh, Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, commented: “Our analysis of what brands have grown the most since 2020 reveals that technology companies do not have a monopoly on sustained brand growth.”

WAM