{"id":32585,"date":"2025-03-20T05:47:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/?post_type=press-release&#038;p=32585"},"modified":"2025-03-20T05:47:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:47:20","slug":"the-middle-easts-leading-banking-brands-grow-10-on-average-as-the-regions-financial-sector-matures","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/press-releases\/the-middle-easts-leading-banking-brands-grow-10-on-average-as-the-regions-financial-sector-matures","title":{"rendered":"The Middle East\u2019s leading banking brands grow 10% on average as the region\u2019s financial sector matures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>Middle Eastern banks included in the Brand Finance Banking 500 2025 grow 13% in brand value but represent only 4% of total value of the global top 500<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>QNB remains the Middle East\u2019s most valuable banking brand, reaching $9.4 billion in brand value\u2014an 11% year-on-year increase.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Al Rajhi retains its position as the region\u2019s strongest banking brand, maintaining its AAA rating.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Saudi Arabia\u2019s banking brands lead in brand value growth, rising 17%, while the UAE follows with a 14% increase.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The total brand value of the world\u2019s 500 most valuable banking brands surges by 13% year-on-year to reach $1.6 trillion<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LONDON, 20 March 2025<\/strong> \u2013 <strong>The total brand value of the Middle East\u2019s top banking brands has risen by 13% year-on-year<\/strong>, with the region\u2019s leading banks seeing an average growth of 10%, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/brandirectory.com\/banking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">latest report<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/\">Brand Finance<\/a>, the world\u2019s leading brand valuation consultancy. While Middle Eastern banks account for just 4% of the total brand value in the global top 500, their brand value as a percentage of market capitalisation has grown to 11%, up from 10% in 2024, signalling a maturing sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saudi Arabia is the frontrunner in Middle Eastern banking brand value expansion, with a 17% year-on-year growth. The UAE\u2019s banking sector is also thriving, with the ten ranked banks growing 14% year-on-year. Nine out of ten UAE banks included in the ranking posted double-digit increases in brand value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Andrew Campbell, Managing Director Brand Finance Middle East commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cPositioned at the crossroads of trade and investment, banks in the Middle East benefit from capital inflows, sovereign wealth funds, and economic diversification beyond oil. As competition rises, brand building is becoming a priority. The 10% average brand value increase this year among Middle Eastern banks signals a maturing sector ready to expand its global influence.\"<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>QNB is the region\u2019s most valuable banking brand with a brand value of USD9.4 billion, an 11% increase year-on-year.<\/strong> QNB\u2019s Brand Strength Index score has also increased to 86.25\/100 with AAA brand rating. The bank is strategically balancing its regional strength with international expansion, playing a vital role in Qatar\u2019s economic development while extending its presence in Saudi Arabia and opening branches in London, Paris, Singapore, and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Al Rajhi remains the strongest banking brand in the region with a BSI of 87.9 out of 100 and AAA brand rating<\/strong>. Brand Finance\u2019s research in Saudi Arabia reveals Al Rajhi\u2019s exceptional brand awareness, with 100% recognition and 99% familiarity. Additionally, 76% of consumers recently discussed the brand, and 58% named it their preferred bank. Al Rajhi also leads in reputation, engagement, customer needs, and recommendation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>total brand value of the world\u2019s 500 most valuable banking brands has surged by 13% year-on-year to reach USD1.6 trillion<\/strong>, marking the first double-digit increase in four years. This follows two years of sluggish 2% brand value growth and reflects the banking sector's ability to sustain momentum despite market volatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Annie Brown, Valuation Director at Brand Finance, commented:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe high-interest rate environment in many major economies has undoubtedly driven growth in banking brand values, boosting profits and share prices in 2024. However, longer-term brand value growth is being shaped by four key trends: regulation, digital innovation, a shift towards fee-based income over interest margins, and a renewed focus on brand building to sustain competitive advantage.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese banking brands continue to dominate the ranking, with <strong>ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) retaining its position as the most valuable banking brand in the world for the ninth consecutive year<\/strong>, growing 10% to USD79.1 billion. <strong>China<\/strong> <strong>Construction<\/strong> <strong>Bank<\/strong>, <strong>Agricultural<\/strong> <strong>Bank<\/strong> <strong>of<\/strong> <strong>China<\/strong>, and <strong>Bank<\/strong> <strong>of<\/strong> <strong>China<\/strong> complete the top four. While the country\u2019s leading banks remain strong, smaller players in China have struggled, with several ranking lower or losing brand value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Middle Eastern banks included in the Brand Finance Banking 500 2025 grow 13% in brand value but represent only 4% of total value of the global top 500 LONDON, 20 March 2025 \u2013 The total brand value of the Middle East\u2019s top banking brands has risen by 13% year-on-year, with the region\u2019s leading banks seeing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[13,34],"class_list":["post-32585","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-banking","tag-middle-east"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32585"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32587,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32585\/revisions\/32587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}