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DBS crowned Southeast Asia’s most valuable brand in Kantar BrandZ 2026 ranking

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The region’s Top 30 brands are now worth US$165 billion and outperform global peers on Meaningful Difference.

Shopee, Lazada and POSB rank amongst the fastest-growing brands

SINGAPORE, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kantar, the world’s leading data, analytics and AI business, today unveiled the third edition of its BrandZ™ Southeast Asia ranking and report, revealing that Southeast Asia’s Top 30 most valuable brands are now worth a combined US$165.3 billion. The ranking highlights the resilience of the region’s strongest brands, whose value has grown 26% since 2024 despite a challenging global economic environment. Growth has been broad-based: 18 brands have grown, 16 at a double-digit pace, with four more than doubling their value. This was driven by strong consumer relevance and clear differentiation in increasingly competitive markets.

The rankings also highlight the continued dominance of Financial Services, which accounts for more than half of the total value in the Top 30. Banking brands occupy five of the top 10 positions, demonstrating the strength of consumer trust and the growing importance of financial brands in people’s daily lives.

Telecommunications remains the second-largest category, led by Thailand’s AIS, while Retail continues to gain momentum through the growth of e-commerce leaders Shopee and Lazada.

Valued at US$24.5bn, DBS has overtaken BCA to become Southeast Asia’s most valuable brand, more than doubling its value since 2024. This growth is driven by strong brand foundations, anchored in a clear commitment to sustainability and financial security – a positioning that has earned it recognition as Asia’s Safest Bank for 17 consecutive years. Its proposition also travels well beyond its home market, demonstrating its ability to scale a meaningfully different offer across multiple markets.

Kantar BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands 2026:

2026 Rank 
(vs 2024)

Brand

Category

Brand value
2026 (US$M)

2-year
change (%)

1 (+2)

DBS

Financial Services

24,545

121 %

2 (-1)

BCA

Financial Services

22,661

-20 %

3 (+1)

AIS

Telecom Providers

14,612

65 %

4 (+3)

Shopee

Retail

10,428

116 %

5 (+1)

UOB

Financial Services

7,768

18 %

6 (-4)

BRI

Financial Services

6,438

-43 %

7 (+2)

Marina Bay Sands

Travel Services

6,092

38 %

8 (-3)

Mandiri

Financial Services

5,488

-34 %

9 (+1)

True

Telecom Providers

5,373

45 %

10 (-2)

Telkomsel

Telecom Providers

4,726

3 %

Scaling success: how top risers are accelerating growth

The fastest-rising brand in the Top 30 is POSB (People’s Own Savings Bank), leaping eight places to No.13, and increasing its value 126% to $4.4bn. Singapore’s oldest bank has strengthened its purpose – ‘Neighbours first, bankers second’ – through community-led initiatives, and emotionally compelling storytelling. Its innovative ‘Treat Yourself Right’ campaign, using GenAI to bring consumers face-to-face with their future selves, demonstrates how technology can deepen engagement while reinforcing brand meaning.

Among the 24 brands featuring in both the 2026 and 2024 rankings, those with the strongest growth also have the widest international reach, highlighting the commercial advantage of translating locally-built brand meaning into regionally relevant offers. Singaporean brand Lazada (No.12; $4.5bn; +105%) has succeeded with a strategy based on quality, authenticity and trust. It offers consumers peace of mind in a complex e-commerce landscape through its ‘100% Legit’ guarantee, and this narrative resonates across diverse markets, supporting sustained growth and strengthening consumer confidence.

Commenting on the results, Rika Sharma, Executive Managing Director, Southeast Asia and Singapore, Kantar, says: “Southeast Asia’s most valuable brands have earned their place by building deep, meaningful connections with consumers around enduring human needs that transcend markets and cultures. While many are already firmly embedded in people’s lives, sustaining growth in the years ahead will require greater ambition and innovation. The strongest brands will be those that expand into new spaces, create new sources of value for consumers and sharpen their differentiation in ways that justify premium pricing. Achieving this consistently will depend on a more strategic application of consumer and market understanding, powered by AI-enabled intelligence that helps turn brand decisions into measurable business impact.”

Newcomers combine bold positioning with cross-market relevance

Six new entrants join BrandZ’s Southeast Asian ranking this year, spanning five categories and five markets: Malaysian telecom provider CelcomDigi (No.14; $4.2bn), Vietnam-founded EV manufacturer VinFast (No.15; $4.0bn), Malaysian retailer 99 Speedmart (No.21; $2.6bn), Indonesia’s Mayapada Hospital (No.24; $2.4bn), and financial services brands SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) (No.28; $1.4bn) from Thailand and BDO (No.29; $1.4bn) from the Philippines. Each newcomer has broken into the Top 30 by establishing a clear point of differentiation that cuts through, and by amplifying that difference through focused, effective communications.

VinFast exemplifies this approach through its ‘For a Green Future’ mission, combining accessible electric mobility with ecosystem innovation, such as its GreenSM Taxi services. This clear, future-facing positioning has supported rapid expansion within Southeast Asia and beyond. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Mayapada Hospital has built momentum by positioning itself as a provider of world-class healthcare within the region, reducing the need for outbound medical travel. Its strong, digitally led communications reinforce its premium, progressive credentials among consumers.

Key trends from the 2026 Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands report include:

Southeast Asia’s Top 30 outperform the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands on the three fundamental drivers of brand growth – Meaning, Difference and Salience – signalling their strong connection with consumers and their readiness for sustained future growthConsumers increasingly see Southeast Asian brands as ‘worth it’. By demonstrating clear Meaningful Difference, these brands reinforce perceptions of value for money and justify premium pricing.

The 2026 Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands ranking, full report and in-depth analysis are now available at: www.kantar.com/campaigns/brandz/southeast-asia

For category-level competitive insights, Kantar’s free BrandSnapshot tool, powered by BrandZ, offers at-a-glance intelligence on 15,000 brands worldwide. Explore it here.

ENDS

About Kantar: Kantar is the world’s leading marketing data and analytics business. We deliver the intelligence needed to power brand growth in the AI era. We provide the signals that help organisations act quickly and confidently. We empower brands to make effective marketing decisions based on predictive evidence. And we help them craft powerful growth strategies rooted in the connection between consumers, brands and enterprise value. All this is powered by our uniquely robust human and synthetic data, our unrivalled IP, our AI-native platform and the team of global brand experts that bring this all together.

About Kantar BrandZ: Kantar BrandZ is the global currency when assessing brand value, quantifying the contribution of brands to business’ financial performance. Kantar’s annual global and local brand valuation rankings combine rigorously analysed financial data, with extensive brand equity research. Since 1998, BrandZ has shared brand-building insights with business leaders based on interviews with 4.6 million consumers, for 22,392 brands in 54 markets. Discover more about Kantar BrandZ here.

The Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Southeast Asian Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking available. The ranking is based on interviews with more than 120,000 respondents, on 2,050 brands in 85 categories. The ranking focuses exclusively on consumer-facing brands, and brands must meet the following criteria:

The brand must have originated in one of the following markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or VietnamThe brand must be owned by a publicly listed company or by a company that publishes full financial statements in the public domain.

For more information, please contact:

Amanjit Singh, Marketing Director- APAC, Kantar | Amanjit.singh@kantar.com  
Mishuelle Wee, Digital Marketing Manager, Kantar | mishuelle.wee@kantar.com  

 

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Mach Travel Solutions Limited Crosses 85,000 Yatri Milestone Under Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra Scheme

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NEW DELHI, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mach Travel Solutions Limited (BSE: MACHLTD), a publicly listed technology-enabled travel solutions company, today announced that it has successfully facilitated the travel of over 85,000 Yatris under the Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra Scheme of the Government of Punjab, as on July 14, 2026.

The milestone has been achieved through the Company’s ongoing execution of Cluster 2 of the project, under which Mach Travel Solutions is responsible for the end-to-end management of Yatri movements from its allocated districts, including transportation, accommodation, meals, destination management and on-ground coordination. Under the project, the Company is expected to facilitate the travel of approximately 1,85,000 Yatris during the tenure of the contract.

The successful facilitation of travel for over 85,000 Yatris reflects the Company’s strong operational capabilities and reinforces its growing presence in the Government & Institutional Projects segment.

Commenting on the milestone, Mr. Amit Bhatia, Chairman & Managing Director, Mach Travel Solutions Limited, said:

“Crossing the milestone of over 85,000 Yatris is a proud achievement for the entire Mach Travel Solutions team. This project operates every single day, including weekends, and is a testament to the dedication, discipline and relentless efforts of our teams on the ground.

With a contract value exceeding ₹92 crore, the project involves facilitating the travel of approximately 1,85,000 Yatris during the tenure of the contract. Every day, nearly 1,000 Yatris commence their Yatra, while our teams manage operations for approximately 3,000 Yatris and coordinate around 75–76 buses on a daily basis.

Executing an operation of this scale requires meticulous planning, seamless coordination and unwavering commitment. As we continue to expand across Corporate Travel, MICE, B2B, Leisure and Government & Institutional Projects, while progressing towards the launch of our B2C Online Travel Agency (OTA) platform, we remain focused on leveraging technology, operational expertise and our pan-India network to deliver reliable, scalable and customer-centric travel solutions.”

About Mach Travel Solutions Limited

Mach Travel Solutions Limited (formerly Mach Conferences & Events Ltd.) is a publicly listed technology-enabled travel solutions company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE: MACHLTD). Incorporated in 2004, the Company provides technology-enabled end-to-end travel solutions across Corporate Travel, MICE, B2B, Leisure and Government & Institutional Projects. The Company is also developing a B2C Online Travel Agency (OTA) platform as part of its strategy to build a comprehensive travel ecosystem.

The Company has a strong pan-India presence with offices in Noida, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad, and is accredited by and associated with leading national and international travel associations, including IATA, GBTA, PATA, IATO, ADTOI, OTOAI, SKÅL International, JATA, ICPB, EGAC and NIMA. For more information, please visit https://www.machtravelsolutions.com.

Contact Details
Mach Travel Solutions Limited
Ms. Yashashvi Srivastava
Company Secretary & Compliance Officer
Email: compliance@machtravel.com
Website: https://www.machtravelsolutions.com

Safe Harbour

This release contains statements that contain “forward looking statements” including, but without limitation, statements relating to the implementation of strategic initiatives, and other statements relating to Mach Travel’s future business developments and economic performance. While these forward-looking statements indicate our assessment and future expectations concerning the development of our business, several risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors could cause actual developments and results to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to, general market, macro-economic, governmental and regulatory trends, movements in currency exchange and interest rates, competitive pressures, technological developments, changes in the financial conditions of third parties dealing with us, legislative developments, and other key factors that could affect our business and financial performance. Mach Travel Solutions undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future/likely events or circumstances.

 

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Aokah and Industry Leaders Identify Five Trends Reshaping Global Capability Centers

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As Global Capability Centers (GCCs) become strategic enterprise assets, the ability to Globalize Work with Confidence™ is emerging as the defining capability for the next decade.

NEW YORK, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Over the past decade, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have undergone a fundamental transformation, evolving from cost arbitrage centers into innovation hubs, technology accelerators, and strategic business partners. The market reflects this momentum: India alone now hosts 2,117 GCCs employing 2.36 professionals and generating nearly USD 98.4 billion in annual revenue, with more than 506 Forbes Global 2000 companies operating centers in the country (Nasscom).

Yet as ambitions have grown, so has the complexity of execution. Enterprise leaders today are navigating larger portfolios, more demanding stakeholders, and higher expectations for measurable business outcomes. The decision is made. The direction is set. What separates leaders from the rest is what happens next.

More than 72% of new GCC builds experience material delays or cost overruns within the first 24 months. That is not a talent problem or a location problem. It is a system problem, and it is the problem Aokah was built to solve.

“GCCs have made significant strides over the past decade, moving from back-office support to genuine innovation and transformation hubs. What separates the leaders from the rest today is not ambition. It is the wisdom to plan well, the expertise to execute consistently, and the system to sustain it. That is what Globalizing Work with Confidence™ means in practice.”
— Atul Vashistha
Chairman and CEO, Aokah

Five Trends Shaping Global Capability Transformation

1. AI-First Operating Models Move from Pilot to Enterprise Scale

GCCs are no longer experimenting with AI. They are embedding it across software engineering, finance, HR, analytics, and customer operations. The pressure is now on leadership to move from point solutions to enterprise-wide adoption with measurable value.

The data confirms that the shift is structural, not incremental. 83% of GCCs are already investing in Generative AI, and 58% are currently investing in Agentic AI, with another 29% planning to scale within the next year. Globally, close to three-quarters of enterprises plan to deploy Agentic AI within two years. Organizations that treat AI as a strategic capability rather than a departmental tool will set the pace for the next phase of GCC evolution.

83% of GCCs are currently investing in GenAI. 58% are investing in Agentic AI today, with another 29% planning to scale within the year. — EY India GCC Pulse Survey, 2025

~75% of enterprises globally plan to deploy Agentic AI within two years. — Deloitte State of AI in the Enterprise, January 2026 (3,235 leaders, 24 countries)

“83% of GCCs are already investing in GenAI, yet only 21% have a mature governance model in place to manage it responsibly. That gap is where the next decade of value, and risk, will be decided. As an investor, that’s exactly the kind of structural shift we want exposure to, and it’s exactly why our confidence in Aokah keeps growing. They are not chasing the AI wave. They are building the system that enterprises need to ride it well.”
— Veda Iyer
Global Chief Marketing Officer, and Head Hyperscalers & Strategic Partnerships, Head Sales– APAC, Mphasis 

2. Outcome-Based Governance Replaces Activity Reporting

Traditional governance models built around status updates and milestone tracking are giving way to frameworks centered on business impact and value realization. Enterprise leaders are demanding visibility into what is working and real-time insights into whether transformation initiatives are delivering the value promised to the business.

The governance gap is real and widening. Only 21% of organizations have a mature governance model in place for agentic AI, even as deployment scales at speed. Nearly half of organizations (48%) say they have introduced AI without redesigning the workflows or roles it sits within, and just 12% report redesign at scale with a new operating model behind it. This shift requires new metrics, new conversations, and a fundamentally different relationship between GCC leadership and the enterprise.

Only 21% of organizations have a mature governance model for autonomous AI agents, even as adoption accelerates. — Deloitte State of AI in the Enterprise, 2026

48% of organizations have introduced AI without redesigning the workflows or roles it sits within. Only 12% report redesign at scale. — Deloitte AI Institute Pulse Check, 2026 (3,700 professionals)

3. Global Capability Centers Evolve into Enterprise Transformation Engines

The delivery center model is giving way to something far more strategic. GCCs are increasingly positioned as catalysts for enterprise-wide transformation, playing a central role in innovation, change management, and long-term capability building.

The evidence is now beyond anecdotal. More than half of India’s Global Capability Centers (52%) hold shared accountability for global decisions, and 45% are driving global strategy leadership from India. Two-thirds of GCCs (67%) are creating dedicated innovation teams and incubation programs to generate, test, and globalize ideas. The most mature GCCs are no longer asked what they deliver. They are asked what they make possible.

52% of India GCC centers hold shared accountability for global decisions. 45% are driving global strategy leadership from India. — EY India GCC Pulse Survey, 2025

67% of GCCs are creating dedicated innovation teams and incubation programs to generate, test, and globalize ideas from India. — EY India GCC Pulse Survey, 2025

“What I see happening in the GBS industry now is that Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are becoming the AI accelerators for their enterprises, as they bring together a unique set of talent, data acumen, deep technology skills and business process operations at scale. This is making these GCCs ideally placed to be THE enterprise AI accelerator, with a real top- and bottom-line impact for their enterprise.”
— Robert Weltevreden
Global Business Services Leader and Board Member of Aokah

4. Human-AI Collaboration Redefines Workforce Strategy

The GCC workforce today combines deep domain expertise with AI-enabled capabilities. Leading organizations are investing in reskilling, new operating models, and ways of working that amplify human judgment through technology rather than simply automating tasks. Talent strategy is no longer just about hiring the right people. It is about building the right human-AI teams.

The urgency is highlighted by a significant disconnect: 84% of companies have not redesigned jobs to accommodate AI, despite high automation expectations and increasing deployment. Enterprise leaders identify insufficient worker skills as the primary barrier to integrating AI into current workflows. The organizations that address this gap first will gain a clear talent and performance edge.

84% of companies have not redesigned jobs or the nature of work around AI capabilities, even as automation expectations are high. — Deloitte State of AI in the Enterprise, 2026

#1 Barrier: Insufficient worker skills are the biggest barrier to integrating AI into existing workflows, according to enterprise leaders surveyed. — Deloitte State of AI in the Enterprise, 2026

5. Confidence in Outcomes Becomes the Ultimate Competitive Differentiator

As transformation programs grow in scale and complexity, the organizations that will lead are those capable of executing consistently while maintaining visibility into risks, dependencies, and outcomes at every stage of the process. The rapid pace of change is creating systemic exposure: 78% of technology leaders say AI adoption is surpassing their organization’s ability to manage the business effectively.

Aokah’s analysis of over 300 globalization programs revealed that more than 72% of new GCC projects face significant delays or cost overruns within the first 24 months. These are not exceptions; they are the standard when there is no structured execution intelligence. Globalizing Work with Confidence™ is no longer just a goal. It is a necessary operational requirement that distinguishes organizations that grow effectively from those that get stuck.

78% of technology leaders say AI adoption is outpacing their organization’s ability to effectively manage the business. — EY Technology Pulse Poll, February 2026 (500 US business leaders)

More than 72% of new GCC builds experience material delays or cost overruns within the first 24 months. — Aokah analysis of 300+ GCC programs

A New Standard for Enterprise Globalization

Aokah’s Five Wisdoms℠ framework, developed from over twenty years of experience across 300+ globalization programs, provides enterprise leaders with a structured, proven method to navigate each stage of the globalization process. From exploration and setup to optimization and sustained performance, Aokah combines proprietary insights with expert guidance to help organizations move faster, avoid costly mistakes, and build GCCs that fulfill their strategic goals.

“The question enterprises are asking has shifted. It is no longer whether to globalize work. It is how to do it in a way that generates real confidence, for the board, for the business, and for the teams executing on the ground. That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and the standard we help our clients achieve.”
— Atul Vashistha
Chairman and CEO, Aokah

About Aokah

Aokah gives enterprises the System, Expertise, and Wisdom to Globalize Work with Confidence™. Built on the Five Wisdoms℠ framework and grounded in over 300 globalization programs, Aokah helps enterprise leaders explore, build, and optimize GCCs that deliver measurable, sustainable business outcomes.

Learn more at www.aokah.com 

Sources
– Nasscom-Zinnov GCC Value Orbit Report, FY2026
– EY India GCC Pulse Survey 2025 (published November 2025)
– Deloitte State of AI in the Enterprise, January 2026 (3,235 business and IT leaders, 24 countries)
– Deloitte AI Institute Pulse Check Series, 2026 (3,700 professionals)
– EY Technology Pulse Poll, February 2026 (500 US business leaders)

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Master Concept Receives Okta Catalyst Award, Deepening Partnership in AI and Identity Security

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HONG KONG, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Master Concept, an enterprise AI and cloud solutions partner with operations across Asia-Pacific, has received the Okta Catalyst Award for Strategic Excellence, recognising the continued growth of its partnership with Okta and the strong performance of its identity security practice in FY26.

The award marks an important milestone in the collaboration between Master Concept and Okta, as the two companies deepen their joint efforts to help enterprises strengthen identity security across increasingly complex cloud and AI environments. It also follows Master Concept’s advancement to the next Okta partner tier.

As AI becomes embedded in everyday business operations, identity is becoming an increasingly important security control layer. Enterprises must not only manage who can access applications and data, but also govern how devices, workloads, applications, and emerging AI agents interact with critical business resources.

“This recognition reflects what our teams have built together with Okta over the past year, as well as the trust our customers have placed in us,” said Dennis Wong, Co-founder of Master Concept. “As enterprises accelerate cloud and AI adoption, identity security is becoming fundamental to how access, data, and AI-enabled workflows are governed. We look forward to working more closely with Okta to help customers build a secure foundation for the next stage of enterprise AI.”

Annie Sun, Regional Alliance Manager, Okta, said: “Master Concept’s growth this year is a direct reflection of the team’s dedication, technical execution, and the trust within our partnership. As we expand together into Singapore and Taiwan and deepen our combined Okta and Google Cloud initiatives, Master Concept will continue to play an important role in helping customers navigate identity security in the AI era.”

In FY27, Master Concept will further expand its Okta capabilities across Asia, while developing more integrated identity security initiatives with Okta and Google Cloud.

These initiatives will focus on helping enterprises address the security challenges created by wider AI adoption, including controlling access to AI applications, reducing unauthorised AI usage, protecting sensitive business data, and establishing appropriate identity and access policies for AI-enabled workflows and agents.

The recognition reinforces Master Concept’s broader approach to enterprise AI security: bringing together identity, cloud, browser, endpoint, data, and application controls to help organisations adopt AI securely and at scale.

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