SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – According to Brand Finance’s latest technology ranking, Samsung Group’s brand value increased to US$97.4 billion in 2026. This marks an 8.9% rise from US$89.4 billion in 2025. Samsung secured the eighth position among the world’s most valuable technology brands, dropping one place from last year. It remains the sole South Korean brand in the top 10 globally, maintaining its status alongside the largest players in the international tech industry.
The aggregate worth of the top 100 technology brands grew by 15%, reaching US$3.7 trillion. This is up from US$3.2 trillion the previous year. Apple, Microsoft, and Google retained their top three spots. Nvidia moved into fifth place after its brand value more than doubled to US$184.3 billion. This increase caused Samsung to slip one position despite its higher valuation. US-based companies continued to dominate the ranking’s total value, accounting for the majority of the overall figure.
South Korea has five technology brands featured in the global list. Their combined brand value reached US$135.3 billion, reflecting an 8% increase from 2025. This positioned South Korea third behind the US and China. SK hynix ranked 28th with a brand value of US$15.8 billion. LG was 44th at US$9.6 billion. Coupang reached US$8.8 billion, and Naver was 95th with a valuation of US$3.7 billion.
Semiconductor sector bolsters Samsung’s brand valuation
Brand Finance highlighted Samsung’s leadership in memory chips and semiconductors as a key factor behind its brand value growth. The report also pointed out strong demand for advanced memory products. Samsung’s operations span smartphones, televisions, home appliances, semiconductors, and digital services, giving it a presence across both consumer and enterprise technology markets. The US$97.4 billion figure reflects the brand’s economic worth alone and does not include market capitalization, annual revenue, or physical assets.
The valuation is derived using a royalty relief methodology. This involves analyzing marketing investments, customer perceptions, and business performance to determine brand strength. A royalty rate is then applied to projected brand-related revenues, and the resulting after-tax earnings are discounted to establish present value. This approach adheres to the ISO 10668 standard for monetary brand valuation, estimating the potential earnings from licensing the brand through open-market agreements.
Concentration persists in global tech rankings
Seven of the top 10 positions in the broader Global 500 ranking are occupied by technology companies. Apple remains the most valuable brand worldwide, followed by Microsoft in second place. The Technology 100 also saw notable gains among chipmakers and artificial intelligence infrastructure firms, led by Nvidia, with Broadcom and AMD also among the fastest-growing tech brands. Collectively, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon account for nearly 70% of the total value of the Technology 100.
Samsung contributed approximately 72% of the combined value of South Korea’s five ranked tech brands. Its valuation of US$97.4 billion surpassed their collective US$37.9 billion. These brands include SK hynix, LG, Coupang, and Naver. Samsung’s eighth-place ranking continues to be the main factor in South Korea’s third-place national standing. The 2026 results also show another year of growth in Samsung’s estimated brand value, even as its global ranking declined by one position.