CommBank is Australia’s most valuable brand (USD $32,093M), and the only local brand to be included in the 2025 Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking – the 20th edition of the world’s most authoritative brand ranking based on consumer perceptions and financial performance.
The 2025 ranking, topped by Apple, sees CommBank rise eight places to rank at #74 overall, with a brand value increase of 39 per cent on 2024. It has also jumped up three places to #11 out of 20 in the financial services category. Overall, the Global Top 100 has reached a record total brand value of USD $10.7 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 29 per cent driven by tech-enabled disruptor brands, which have delivered most of the increase in value over the past 20 years across all sectors.
Kantar Australia Head of Qualitative Carolyn Reid says she is thrilled to see CommBank representing Australia on the global stage in 2025, especially in a challenging economic environment.
“CommBank’s performance is notable because it is a legacy brand that continues to strengthen its Meaningful Difference in the minds of Australians. By being an innovation leader, and thinking beyond its category, CommBank is evolving its leadership role. It is a highly Meaningfully Different brand, well known for its deployment of technology, strong corporate purpose, and its partnerships, such as with the Matildas.”
“With strong penetration and high Future Power, CommBank’s growth has come from continued investment in digital innovation, new product launches, youth engagement, strategic partnerships, and a strong focus on the customer experience. It remains well positioned to find new spaces into which it can grow.”
Martin Guerrieria, Global Head of Kantar BrandZ, said that even through economic crises, the world’s most valuable brands have consistently outperformed the S&P 500 and MSCI World Index over 20 years.
“This is irrefutable proof of marketing’s value. A brand is a company’s most valuable asset, and the last thing businesses should be doing in response to market shocks is cutting marketing investment. Brands are built on ongoing exposure and experiences. The most successful are consistent in their messaging and recognise the intangible value of brands in the minds of consumers. The smartest businesses differentiate their brands to the extent that consumers are happy to pay a premium, because they can maintain or survive price rises without eroding demand. This is crucial for protecting margins when facing external pressures.”
Disruptive brands fuel long-term brand value
Brands that disrupted their category or reinvented themselves have accounted for 71 per cent of the incremental $9.3 trillion of value created in the Global Top 100 since 2006. In 2025, this includes Stripe (#85) and Chipotle (#86), which have entered the ranking for the first time, and Aldi, which has been in the Global Top 100 for 15 of the past 20 years and currently ranked 94th.
“Innovators keeping up with consumer needs or redefining them entirely are the brands fundamentally reshaping the Global Top 100 over the past two decades – think Uber, Booking.com and now ChatGPT” said Guerrieria. “The most successful – like Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft – have long moved away from their original product base.”
“In a world of digital saturation and tough consumer expectations, brands need to meet people’s needs, connect with them emotionally and offer something others don’t to succeed. They need to be not just different, but meaningfully so. The dominance of brands like Apple, Instagram and McDonald’s underlines the power of a consistent brand experience that people can relate to and remember. ChatGPT’s dramatic rise shows how a brand can find fame and influence society to the extent that it changes our daily lives. But with generative AI competition accelerating, OpenAI will need to invest in its brand to preserve it first-mover momentum.”
Key insights and trends from the 2025 Kantar BrandZ global report include:
- Apple retains its top position for the fourth year with a brand value of $1.3 trillion, up 28 per cent on 2024. The only trillion-dollar brand in the ranking, Apple represents more than 12 per cent of the total value of the Global Top 100.
- ChatGPT premieres in 60th place, the highest newcomer since NVIDIA in 2021, but may face strong competition as brands like Google and Microsoft respond to its first-mover advantage.
- Amazon’s brand value has soared by 50 per cent to $866 billion, thanks to its strong positioning around convenience and affordability allowing it to thrive in a challenging economy.
- Instagram (101 per cent) and TikTok (25 per cent) have posted impressive growth. They reflect the continued influence of social media in shaping consumer habits and delivering direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales for brands and influencers globally.
- Retail continued its post-pandemic surge, with overall brand value growth up 48 per cent as
e-commerce and private label create value for consumers in inflationary times. - Brand values in consumer categories like apparel (0 per cent), food and beverages (-1 per cent) and personal care (-5 per cent)remained flat or declined, although brands like Uniqlo, Coca-Cola and Dove are all outperforming competitors.
- Alcohol (-11 per cent) is under pressure from reduced consumption, especially among younger generations focused on health and wellness, including increased low/no alcohol beverages. The fragmentation in spirit flavours and craft beer is also diluting the market share of legacy brands.
- Luxury, one of the few sectors to grow through the pandemic, dropped two per cent in 2025, in part because of softer demand in China, where scrutiny of displays of wealth and extravagance have shifted consumer preference towards lifestyle experiences instead of status symbols.
