China ranks second with 21 brands in global trade in services brand value

Brand Finance released its inaugural Trade in Services 100 2026 ranking on the opening day of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). It ranks China second with 21 brands valued at $876.77 billion, or 19.08% of the total amount.

The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) opens at Shougang Park in Beijing on Sept. 9, 2026. This year's CIFTIS is set to be held from Sept. 9 to 13. [Photo/Xinhua]

The world's 100 most valuable trade in services brands have a combined brand value of $4.6 trillion. This demonstrates the scale of assets now commercialized through cross-border services.

The United States leads with 46 brands valued at $2.85 trillion, or 62% of the total. China follows with 21 brands valued at $876.77 billion, representing 19.08% of the total, led by TikTok/Douyin at $153.5 billion. 

China's list also includes major financial brands such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Construction Bank, the Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Ping An and China Merchants Bank, as well as digital and communications brands including Tencent, China Mobile and WeChat.

The leading brands globally operate across the digital and financial service industries, with Microsoft leading the ranking with a brand value of $565.3 billion. "The Brand Finance Trade in Services 100 2026 ranking shows that trade in services is one of the principal mechanisms through which intangible assets are converted into economic value across borders," said David Haigh, chairman and CEO of Brand Finance. 

All brand values are as of Jan. 1, 2026 and show trade in services is no longer merely an adjunct to trade in goods. The Global Digital Trade Brands 20 is the largest of the ranking's four global sector windows, with a combined brand value of $2.42 trillion. The U.S. holds 11 of the 20 digital trade brands and represents 77% of the sector window's value. China has four brands, worth $303.2 billion, representing 13% of the total.

The Global Cross-border Financial Services Brands 20 ranks second at $916.9 billion, with Chinese brands accounting for 41% of the value and U.S. brands for 40%. ICBC ranks first in the financial services window at $90.9 billion, ahead of China Construction Bank and Bank of China. Other brands in the top 20 include American Express, Bank of America, Chase, VISA, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Citi and Mastercard.

Brand Finance's Global Intangible Finance Tracker, known as GIFT 2025, also shows that intangible assets as a percentage of total enterprise value for Chinese listed companies rose from 15% in 2024 to 31% in 2025, but still lag behind the global average of 58% and the U.S. level of 78%.

Scott Chen, co-founder and managing director of Brand Finance China, noted that approximately 30% of Chinese enterprise value comes from intangible assets, compared to about 80% in the United States. "This 50 percentage point gap is both a challenge and enormous growth potential," he said. "When digital, financial, logistics, cultural and urban capabilities more fully settle into brands, software, data, intellectual property and global customer relationships, China's service growth will have higher replicability and a longer value cycle."

"China is advancing high-level opening-up to drive high-quality development of trade in services — from the negative list for cross-border services trade to reforms in digital trade innovation," Chen said. "A series of national policies provide a clear institutional framework for the international development of service brands. In this process, continuously enhancing the brand value of trade in services is not optional but mandatory. Brands are the core mechanism through which innovation receives market returns, and the key bridge for Chinese enterprises moving from 'going global' to 'going deeper local.' Chinese service brands need to complete four transformations: from scale to international revenue, from international revenue to global recognition, from global recognition to local trust, and from local trust to stable price premium. Each transformation is a reaffirmation of brand value."