On August 24, the Hurun Research Institute released the "2026 Hurun Most Valuable China Brands" list, featuring 502 brands in total, with the top 500 brands spanning 17 countries of origin. Among them, 90 brands saw their value increase year-over-year, while 277 brands experienced a decline. Additionally, 88 brands maintained their value, 47 brands made their debut on the list, and 50 brands dropped off. The entry threshold remained at 2 billion yuan, with a total combined value of 8 trillion yuan, reflecting a 10% decrease from the previous year. The threshold for the top 100 was set at 12 billion yuan, the top 200 at 5.5 billion yuan, and the top 300 at 3 billion yuan.

Within the top 10 Chinese brands, Ping An was the only financial institution to secure a spot, ranking 6th with a brand value of 120 billion yuan. In the top 10 list for value growth, ICBC ranked 5th with an increase of 10.5 billion yuan, bringing its brand value to 67.5 billion yuan, while China Pacific Insurance ranked 9th with a growth of 4.5 billion yuan, reaching a brand value of 35 billion yuan.

In terms of value appreciation, both Standard Chartered Bank and Manulife-Sinochem made it into the top 10 for value growth. Notably, Manulife-Sinochem ranked 4th with a 67% surge, reaching a brand value of 5 billion yuan.

A total of 47 brands were newly added to the list this year. Among these newcomers, the AIGC and automotive sectors were the most prominent, each contributing 8 brands, followed by the financial sector with 7, textiles and apparel with 6, and e-commerce and retail with 5. Of the 7 new financial brands, 5 originated from Taiwan: Yuanta Securities, E.Sun Bank, First Bank, Fubon Bank, and Hua Nan Bank, alongside Bank of Nanjing and MetLife.

Over the past decade, the bar for entering the top 10 brands has shifted considerably: it rose from 120 billion yuan a decade ago to 140 billion yuan five years ago, then dropped to 120 billion yuan last year, and has now declined further to 91.5 billion yuan this year. Notably, all banking brands that were in the top 10 a decade ago have since exited that echelon entirely.

By industry, the list encompasses 29 major sectors. The financial sector topped the rankings with 65 brands, an increase of 3 from the previous year, led by Ping An, CCB, and ABC. In terms of brand value, the financial sector ranked 3rd with a combined 924.5 billion yuan.

In the banking segment, 34 institutions were listed, including 31 brands originating from China: CCB, ABC, ICBC, China Merchants Bank, Bank of China, Postal Savings Bank, WeBank, Ping An Bank, Hang Seng Bank, Industrial Bank, Bank of Communications, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, CTBC Bank, E.Sun Bank, China Guangfa Bank, Bank of Jiangsu, China Everbright Bank, Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank, Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank, Bank of Ningbo, Bank of Hangzhou, Mega International Commercial Bank, China CITIC Bank, First Bank, Minsheng Bank, Bank of Chengdu, Fubon Bank, Taishin Bank, Bank of Nanjing, Hua Nan Bank, and Bank of Shanghai. Among these, CCB, ABC, ICBC, China Merchants Bank, Bank of China, and Postal Savings Bank secured spots in the top 100, ranking 13th, 14th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, and 61st, respectively.

In the insurance sector, 14 institutions made the list, with 13 originating from China: Ping An, China Pacific Insurance, China Life, PICC, Fubon Life, AIA, Cathay Life, New China Life, Taikang Insurance, CITIC Prudential, China Taiping, Manulife-Sinochem, and Sunshine Insurance. Of these, Ping An, China Pacific Insurance, China Life, and PICC were featured in the top 100, placing 8th, 36th, 39th, and 50th, respectively.