Brand Finance Banking

Brand Finance Banking 500
February 2010

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The annual report on the most valuable global banking brands

“Brands are the most valuable intangible assets in business today. They drive demand, motivate staff, secure business partners and reassure financial markets. Leading edge organisations recognise the need to understand brand equity and brand value when making strategic decisions”
David Haigh, CEO, Brand Finance
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© Brand Finance plc 2010

Foreword
This report, first published in 2006, was the first publicly available study analyzing the financial value of the world’s top 100 banking brands. For the third year running we have extended our analysis to the top 500 global banking brands. It is published annually and incorporates data from all listed companies globally. Each brand has been accorded a brand rating: a benchmarking study of the strength, risk and future potential of a brand relative to its competitor set as well as a brand value: a summary measure of the financial strength of the brand.
Once again, the fortunes of the world’s largest banks continued to dominate the headlines. Financial institutions have never been placed under such public scrutiny, from questions on the credibility of risk management programs to politically-sensitive bonus policies. Following the collapse or acquisition of many famous brands, those remaining have been able to take advantage of government bailouts, partially thaw the credit freeze and enjoy the benefits of a less competitive market. As a result, the banking sector has begun to show tangible signs of recovery. Not only have the top 500 most valuable banking brands grown by 62% in terms of market capitalisation, but their brand values have cumulatively increased by 49%. The index also tracks the rise of emerging market bank brands. In 2008 the most significant rises were to be found in Asia, notably China and India. In 2009 a star performing region is the Middle East, particularly in the GCC states. This is a... [continues]

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