(Yicai) Sept. 10 -- The 100 most valuable Chinese brands saw their value expand by a double-digit percentage for the second year in a row this year, according to the latest report by international market research firm Kantar Group.

The total value of China's 100 most valuable brands rose 13 percent to USD1.4 trillion in 2026 from last year, according to the 2026 Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands report released at an event themed ‘Growing With Intelligence’ in Shanghai yesterday.

Fifty-four of the 89 brands that featured in both the 2026 and 2025 rankings increased their value last year, with an average uplift of 22 percent. Seven brands made this year’s ranking for the first time: Kimi at 45th place, Amap 46th, ChatGLM 53rd, Laopu Gold 67th, Doubao 78th, GoodMe 87th, and Bank of Jiangsu 88th.

Media and Entertainment, Financial Services, Consumer Technology and Services Platforms, and Retail are the standout growth categories of this year’s ranking. Together, they generate 69 percent of China’s top 100 brands’ total value.

Nine of the top 10 brands in 2025 also made it into the top 10 in 2026. Tencent remained the most valuable Chinese brand for the sixth consecutive year, with its value up 6 percent to USD209.9 billion. Alibaba ranked second with a brand value of USD112.5 billion, and Douyin climbed to third with USD98.4 billion. Agricultural Bank of China rose two places to 10th.

China’s top 10 most valuable brands remained largely stable amid rapid economic and technological changes, underscoring the strength and consistency of their brand-building strategies, as new growth trends continued to emerge.

Many brands have invested heavily in artificial intelligence technologies and searched relentlessly for profitable new spaces, such as business-to-business ventures in tech, robotics, mobility, and industrial internet, instant commerce, micro-dramas, and high-end groceries.

"China’s strongest brands are demonstrating remarkable growth, resilience, and agility,” said Doreen Wang, CEO of Kantar in Greater China and Global Chair of Kantar BrandZ. “They are now entering a new era, defined by a maturing, saturated home market, and significant opportunities abroad. This is compounded by intensifying AI disruption.

“Meanwhile, fast-shifting consumer expectations are shaping where growth happens,” Wang noted. “To continue the exceptional momentum they have built, brands will need to combine up-to-the-moment market and shopper intelligence with meaningfully different brand positioning. This ultimately means staying very close to their consumers, both online and offline.”

Over half of China’s top 100 brands have launched overseas operations, and one in four recorded overseas contribution of above 10 percent, an all-time high. As their overseas businesses continue to expand, Chinese brands are progressing beyond exporting products, and their operations are shifting towards local market development and long-term brand building.

Kantar delivers actionable intelligence to drive brand growth in the AI era. It generates market signals that enable organizations to act quickly and confidently, empowering brands to make informed marketing decisions supported by predictive evidence.

The company also helps businesses develop robust growth strategies built on the link between consumers, brands, and enterprise value. Its capabilities rest on its uniquely rich human and synthetic data portfolio, unmatched intellectual property, AI-native platform, and a global team of brand specialists.

Editor: Futura Costaglione