SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – Samsung Group’s brand value reached US$97.4 billion in 2026, Brand Finance said. The figure rose 8.9% from US$89.4 billion a year earlier. Samsung ranked eighth among the world’s most valuable technology brands, down one place from 2025. It remained the only South Korean brand in the sector’s global top 10. The result kept Samsung among a group dominated by major US technology companies.
The report valued the world’s top 100 technology brands at US$3.7 trillion. That marked a 15% increase from US$3.2 trillion in 2025. US brands represented more than three quarters of the total, with 46 companies in the ranking. Apple, Microsoft and Google held the top three positions. Nvidia climbed three places to fifth after its brand value more than doubled to US$184.3 billion. Its rise moved Samsung one position lower despite Samsung’s increased valuation.
South Korea’s five ranked technology brands carried a combined value of US$135.3 billion, up 8% from the previous year. That total placed the country third globally behind the US and China. SK hynix rose 15% to US$15.8 billion and ranked 28th. LG fell 9% to US$9.6 billion and placed 44th. Naver rose 11% to US$3.7 billion, while Coupang increased 10% to US$8.8 billion.
Semiconductor strength supports valuation
Brand Finance linked Samsung’s increase to its position in memory chips and semiconductors. The report also cited demand for advanced memory products as a factor supporting the valuation. Samsung operates across semiconductors, smartphones, televisions, home appliances and digital services. Those businesses give the brand a presence across consumer and enterprise technology markets. The US$97.4 billion figure measures the Samsung technology brand rather than the company’s market capitalization, revenue or physical assets.
Brand Finance uses a royalty relief approach aligned with the ISO 10668 valuation standard. The process starts by assessing marketing investment, stakeholder equity and business performance. Analysts then calculate a royalty rate based on the brand’s strength and industry. They apply that rate to forecast brand-related revenue and discount after-tax earnings to their present value. The final estimate represents the economic benefit a company could receive by licensing its brand in the open market.
Technology brands dominate global rankings
Technology companies continued to dominate broader global brand rankings in 2026. Seven of the 10 most valuable brands in the Brand Finance Global 500 came from the technology sector. Apple remained the world’s most valuable brand, while Microsoft ranked second. The Technology 100 also recorded strong growth among artificial intelligence infrastructure and semiconductor companies. Broadcom and AMD followed Nvidia among the fastest-growing technology brands. Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon represented almost 70% of the ranking’s total value.
Samsung accounted for about 72% of the combined value of South Korea’s five ranked technology brands. Its US$97.4 billion valuation also exceeded the combined US$37.9 billion value of SK hynix, LG, Coupang and Naver. Samsung’s top-10 position therefore remained central to South Korea’s third-place standing in global technology brand value. The 2026 ranking recorded another annual increase for Samsung, even as the company moved down one place in the global technology table.