South African brands dominate Africa’s brand value rankings

Economic volatility

MTN has maintained its position as Africa’s most valuable brand since Brand Finance began its study of broader African brands in 2020—despite economic volatility and regulatory challenges in key markets like Nigeria. Notably, Nigeria remains one of MTN’s largest markets, thanks to its substantial subscriber base. 

Checkers has emerged as the region’s strongest brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 97.7 out of 100. Brand Finance research reveals that Checkers earns outstanding domestic brand perceptions across several brand strength metrics, including likeability, consideration, and recommendation.

Brand Finance data also shows that Checkers outperforms leading global counterparts when compared to their respective home markets, including Walmart in the US, Coles in Australia, and Marks & Spencer in the UK.

Capitec stands out as the fastest-growing brand in Africa by brand value. The bank has more than doubled its value since 2024, reaching $1.1bn in 2025. Capitec has also climbed from 28th to 14th place in the overall ranking within just one year.

According to the latest Brand Finance Africa 200 report, 48 banking brands contribute 31% of the total brand value of Africa’s top 200 brands, amounting to $17.7bn. Five of the top 10 brands are from the banking sector—and all are South African.

Beyond South Africa, other notable performers include:

• Attijariwafa Bank (Morocco), which rose 27% in brand value to $1.1bn, ranking 15th overall.
• National Bank of Egypt, up 9.5% to $717m.
• Access Bank (Nigeria), up 18% to $559m.
• Equity Bank (Kenya), up 23% to $554m.

These strong performances highlight the continued strength of the financial sector in shaping the brand value landscape across the continent.

Kenya’s beer brand Tusker is the second strongest African brand, with a BSI score of 97.1 out of 100, driven by exceptional scores for brand familiarity, consideration, and reputation according to Brand Finance research.

Jeremy Sampson, executive chairman, Brand Finance Africa commented: “The dominance of banking, telecoms, and retail brands in the Africa 200 2025 ranking truly highlights that these companies are vital to the daily lives of African consumers and that these sectors are driving the continent’s emerging economies. Their continued growth, despite fierce global competition, proves that African brands can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best, offering high-quality products and services that resonate across the continent and globally.”

Read the full report https://brandirectory.com/login.

Issued on Bizcommunity | https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/south-african-brands-dominate-africas-brand-value-rankings-704252a