SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – According to Brand Finance’s latest technology ranking, Samsung Group’s brand valuation 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 spot among the world’s leading technology brands, dropping one position from the previous year. It remains the sole South Korean brand in the top 10 globally. This ranking continues to place Samsung among the largest names in the international tech industry.
The combined worth of the top 100 technology brands grew by 15% to reach US$3.7 trillion, up from US$3.2 trillion a year earlier. Apple, Microsoft, and Google maintained their top three positions. Nvidia advanced to fifth place after its brand value more than doubled to US$184.3 billion. This surge caused Samsung to slip one position despite its higher valuation. US-based companies continued to dominate the overall ranking in terms of total value.
South Korea has five technology brands on the global list, with a combined brand value of US$135.3 billion, reflecting an 8% increase from 2025. This puts South Korea in third place behind the US and China. SK hynix ranked 28th with a valuation of US$15.8 billion. LG was placed 44th at US$9.6 billion. Coupang reached US$8.8 billion, and Naver was 95th with a value of US$3.7 billion.
Semiconductor Sector Bolsters Samsung’s Brand Worth
Brand Finance attributed Samsung’s brand value growth to its leadership in memory chips and semiconductors. The report highlighted increasing demand for advanced memory solutions. Samsung’s operations span smartphones, televisions, home appliances, semiconductors, and digital services, giving it a presence across both consumer and enterprise technology sectors. The US$97.4 billion valuation reflects the economic worth of the brand itself, not Samsung’s market capitalization, annual revenue, or physical assets.
The valuation process by Brand Finance employs a royalty relief method, analyzing marketing efforts, customer perceptions, and business performance to determine a brand strength score. A royalty rate is then applied to forecasted brand-related revenue, and discounted to present value using after-tax earnings. This method aligns with the ISO 10668 standard for monetary brand valuation, estimating the income a company could generate through licensing its brand in an open-market scenario.
Tech Industry Remains Concentrated at the Top
Within the broader Global 500, seven of the top 10 positions are occupied by technology firms. Apple continues to be the world’s most valuable brand, with Microsoft in second place. The Technology 100 also experienced significant growth among chipmakers and AI infrastructure companies, led by Nvidia, followed by Broadcom and AMD as the fastest-growing 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 technology brands. Its valuation of US$97.4 billion surpasses their total of US$37.9 billion. The other brands include SK hynix, LG, Coupang, and Naver. Samsung’s eighth-place ranking continues to be a key component of South Korea’s third-place national standing. The 2026 results also show another yearly increase in Samsung’s estimated brand value, despite its position dropping by one in the global rankings.