By The UAE’s top 50 brands grew in combined value by 17 percent year-on-year to reach $104.5 billion in 2026, according to Brandirectory’s latest national ranking, with strength spread across oil and gas, banking, telecoms, real estate, and manufacturing. ADNOC retained its position as the country’s most valuable brand for an eighth consecutive year, with its value rising 11 percent to $21.1 billion, and it became the first Emirati brand to enter the Global 500 ranking, landing at 100th place worldwide.
Other major movers included e& (formerly Etisalat), which held onto second place on strong revenue growth and an expanding international subscriber base, while ADCB overtook logistics giant DP World to claim seventh place following a 33 percent jump in brand value. Emaar also posted a strong year, with its brand value rising 21 percent on the back of higher property sales and an expanded development pipeline across Dubai.
Separately, a new Global Growth Leaders 2026 ranking compiled by TIME magazine and Statista placed 27 UAE-listed companies among the world’s top 1,000 public firms, evaluated on growth performance, financial stability, and stock market performance. International Holding Company led the UAE contingent at sixth place globally, followed by Dubai Insurance at tenth.
Taken together, the rankings point to a UAE corporate sector that continues to expand its global visibility, with strength increasingly diversified beyond traditional energy and real estate names into finance, insurance, and industrials.
Sources: Brandirectory, “UAE 2026” brand value report (brandirectory.com); Aletihad News Center, “27 UAE firms rank among world’s top public companies on TIME-Statista’s Global Growth Leaders list” (en.aletihad.ae)
