SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – According to Brand Finance’s latest technology ranking, Samsung Group’s brand worth increased to US$97.4 billion in 2026. This represents a growth of 8.9% from US$89.4 billion in 2025. Samsung secured the eighth spot among the world’s most valuable technology brands, dropping one position from the previous year. It remains the sole South Korean brand in the top 10 globally. The ranking continues to position Samsung among the leading names in the international tech industry.
The aggregate value of the top 100 technology brands grew by 15%, reaching US$3.7 trillion, up from US$3.2 trillion a year earlier. Apple, Microsoft, and Google maintained their top three spots. Nvidia advanced into fifth place after its brand value more than doubled to US$184.3 billion. Despite Samsung’s higher valuation, this increase caused it to slide down one position. US firms continued to dominate the overall value of the ranking.
South Korea is home to five technology brands on the global list, with a combined brand value of US$135.3 billion, up 8% from 2025. This places South Korea third behind the US and China. SK hynix is ranked 28th with a brand value of US$15.8 billion. LG’s brand is valued at US$9.6 billion, ranking 44th. Coupang’s brand valuation stands at US$8.8 billion, and Naver is positioned at 95th with US$3.7 billion.
Chip Sector Bolsters Samsung’s Brand Valuation
Brand Finance attributed Samsung’s brand growth partly to its leadership in memory chips and semiconductors. The report highlighted strong demand for advanced memory solutions. Samsung’s operations span smartphones, televisions, home appliances, semiconductors, and digital services, giving it a significant footprint across both consumer and enterprise technology markets. The US$97.4 billion figure represents the brand’s economic value alone, not its market capitalization, annual revenue, or physical assets.
The valuation methodology used by Brand Finance involves a royalty relief approach. It considers factors like marketing investments, customer perceptions, and business performance to determine a brand strength score. Using this score, analysts apply a royalty rate to forecasted brand-related revenue, then discount the projected after-tax earnings to arrive at a present value. This approach adheres to the ISO 10668 standard for monetary brand valuation, estimating the potential benefits of licensing the brand in an open-market context.
Technological Industry Remains Concentrated in Global Top 10
In the broader Global 500 ranking, seven of the top 10 spots are occupied by technology firms. Apple continues to be the most valuable brand worldwide, with Microsoft in second place. The Technology 100 also saw significant gains among chipmakers and AI infrastructure providers. Nvidia leads this group, followed by Broadcom and AMD as the fastest-growing tech brands. Collectively, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon account for nearly 70% of the total value of the Technology 100.
Samsung accounts for approximately 72% of the combined brand value of South Korea’s five listed technology companies, with a valuation of US$97.4 billion surpassing their total of US$37.9 billion. These companies include SK hynix, LG, Coupang, and Naver. Samsung’s eighth-place ranking remains a key component of South Korea’s third-place national standing. The 2026 results also reflect another year of growth in Samsung’s estimated brand value, despite its position slipping by one place globally.