By Brazil Stock Guide – Itaú Unibanco Holding SA (ITUB4) strengthened its international standing after advancing 20 positions in the latest ranking of the world’s most valuable brands, remaining the only Brazilian company included in the Global 500.
The lender now ranks 254th worldwide, supported by a 15% increase in brand value to $9.9 billion. Banco do Brasil SA (BBAS3), which had appeared in the previous edition of the ranking, dropped out this year.
The assessment also points to gains in brand quality. Itaú’s Brand Strength Index reached 80.3 points, securing an AAA- rating for the first time, a level associated with strong recognition and loyalty among consumers.
The improvement reflects higher revenues, increased market share in Brazil and the expansion of digital banking. Credit growth and high-profile advertising initiatives, including the “Feito do Futuro” campaign, also contributed to the result.
At the top of the global ranking, Apple Inc. (AAPL) kept its lead with a brand valuation of $607.6 billion, followed by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) at $565.2 billion. Alphabet Inc.’s Google (GOOGL) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) ranked next.
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) stood out with a surge of more than 100% in brand value, surpassing companies such as Walmart Inc. (WMT) and Meta Platforms Inc. (META). YouTube, owned by Alphabet, was rated the strongest brand worldwide, while UK-based fintech Revolut recorded the fastest growth among the top 500 brands.