{"id":867609,"date":"2026-08-09T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=867609"},"modified":"2026-08-07T16:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T14:09:05","slug":"the-most-valuable-brand-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/finance\/867609\/the-most-valuable-brand-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"The most valuable brand in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The collective brand value of South Africa’s top 30 brands has grown by 47% since 2024 to reach a total value of $43.8 billion, which is about R734 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among these is MTN, which ranked first, having grown 124% since 2024. This is according to the 2026 Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands. BrandZ is Kantar’s brand valuation study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This study integrates financial performance and consumer perceptions to identify the brands that generate the most value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South African ranking is based on interviews with over 49,000 consumers, covering 896 brands across 57 categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa\u2019s brand value growth is widespread, with 23 of the top 30 brands recording an increase in value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-one of these brands achieved growth exceeding 10%. The competitive landscape among the market leaders is becoming increasingly intense, with one billion dollars separating the top four brands in the ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top 10 most valuable South African brands for 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#<\/th>Brand<\/th>Sector<\/th>Brand Value<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>MTN<\/td>Telecom Providers<\/td>$5.35 billion<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Standard Bank<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$4.72 billion<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>First National Bank<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$4.46 billion<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Vodacom<\/td>Telecom Providers<\/td>$4.40 billion<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Capitec Bank<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$3.29 billion<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>Discovery<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$2.00 billion<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>Nando’s<\/td>Fast Food<\/td>$1.82 billion<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>Castle<\/td>Alcohol<\/td>$1.79 billion<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>Absa<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$1.76 billion<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Sanlam<\/td>Financial Services<\/td>$1.17 billion<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After last holding the top position in 2022, MTN has regained the number one rank, increasing its brand value by 124%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This achievement is attributed to its “Ambition 2025” strategy, which emphasises digital inclusion, financial technology, and enhanced connectivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTN has expanded its customer base to over 300 million and increased its service revenue by more than 20% by the conclusion of 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two sectors\u2014financial services and telecommunications\u2014contribute to nearly three-quarters of the overall ranking value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard Bank in second place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The twelve banking and insurance brands in the ranking account for 49% of the top 30 brands’ total value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brands in these sectors occupy all five of the top growth positions: Capitec Bank (+158%), OUTsurance (+132%), MTN (+124%), Discovery (+88%), and Vodacom (+79%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of notable debuts, WeBuyCars (24th; $0.5 billion) has entered the top 30 by using an AI-driven model to disrupt the used-car market.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolworths (12th; +12%) has re-entered the “billionaires\u2019 club” with a brand value of $1.0 billion, illustrating strong pricing power despite its premium positioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dis-Chem Pharmacies (25th; $0.5 billion) and Santam (30th; $0.4 billion) have both returned to the top 30 ranking following their expansion of services and footprints in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s most valuable brands show that growth comes from staying ahead of change,\u201d said Kantar South Africa Chief Commercial Officer Stacy Saggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have built strong foundations by investing in brand equity, and are now maintaining momentum by delivering value, creating emotional connections, and staying culturally relevant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that as consumers become more cost-conscious, protecting pricing power and identifying new growth opportunities, both locally and internationally, will be critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kantar has also recognised three brands for their “exceptional performance” in key drivers of brand value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First National Bank (FNB) was named South Africa’s “Most Meaningfully Different Brand,” which reflects its ability to meet customer needs in ways that distinguish it from competitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flying Fish received the award for “Most Future Power,” highlighting its strong potential for future growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolworths was acknowledged for “Most Pricing Power,” demonstrating its ability to command a premium price due to strong consumer perceptions of value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MTN has been ranked as the most valuable brand for 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":856797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2086407405781373366","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2171158740371192","_sma_instagram_post_id":"18482736418103105","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121],"tags":[17233,28],"class_list":["post-867609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-kantar-brandz","tag-mtn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867609"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":867719,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867609\/revisions\/867719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}