Philippine banking brands outpace ASEAN growth

BDO Unibank remained the Philippines’ most valuable brand in 2026, with a brand value of $3.5 billion, while Philippine banking brands collectively grew 19 percent to $13.2 billion, outpacing the sector’s 5 percent growth across Southeast Asia, according to Brand Finance.

The brand valuation consultancy’s ASEAN 500 2026 report ranked BDO 16th among the region’s most valuable brands, followed by Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) at 19th after its brand value jumped 37 percent to $3.2 billion.

BPI added $863 million in brand value, the fourth-largest increase among brands in ASEAN. BDO and Jollibee, which ranked 17th in the region with a brand value of $3.3 billion, were separated by just $163 million, highlighting the close competition among the country’s leading brands.

Alex Haigh, managing director of Brand Finance Asia Pacific, said the gains among Philippine banks were helping the country’s banking sector outperform its regional counterparts.

“Only a small margin separates BDO and Jollibee at the top of the Philippine brands in the ranking, while BPI records ASEAN’s fourth-largest brand value gain, making the race for the country’s leading position increasingly competitive,” he said.

The gains extended beyond the country’s two leading banks, with several other Philippine lenders recording double-digit increases in brand value and improving their regional rankings.

Asia United Bank (AUB) more than doubled its brand value, rising 133 percent to $226 million and climbing 113 places to 226th in ASEAN.

China Banking Corp. increased its brand value by 42 percent to $416 million, moving up 37 places to 154th. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) posted a 45 percent increase to $349 million, advancing 38 places to 173rd.

Security Bank Corp. also recorded 45 percent growth in brand value to $586 million, rising 29 places to 118th, while Philippine National Bank’s brand value climbed 37 percent to $560 million, moving up 22 places to 122nd.

Among the country’s larger lenders, Land Bank of the Philippines increased its brand value by 29 percent to $1.6 billion, advancing 16 places to 44th. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) grew 19 percent to $1.6 billion, climbing eight places to 49th.

“The momentum extends beyond these leaders, with mid-sized banks such as AUB, Chinabank and RCBC all growing by more than 40%, helping Philippine banking brands increase their combined brand value by 19%, compared with 5% across ASEAN. As challengers grow at this pace, scale alone is no longer enough to protect a leading position,” Haigh added.

Beyond banking, Philippine brands recorded combined brand value growth of 11 percent to $35.9 billion, compared with the 8 percent increase across ASEAN’s 500 leading brands, whose combined value reached $315.6 billion. The Philippines posted the region’s second-fastest growth, behind Vietnam’s 15 percent.

Other Philippine brands also recorded substantial gains. Puregold’s brand value rose 46 percent to $973 million, while Mercury Drug posted a 153 percent increase to $552 million.

Brand Finance evaluates brands based on their estimated financial value and brand strength, which measures factors that contribute to a brand’s performance.