Ten Brazilian banks are among the 500 most valuable banking brands in the world, according to a survey conducted by British institution Brand Finance, in partnership with magazine The Banker. Bradesco Bank appears as the highest ranked national brand, in the 9th position, with an estimated value of US$ 13.29 billion.
Next on the ranking are Itaú (US$ 6.91 billion, 25ª position), Banco do Brasil (US$ 6.69 billion, 26ª position), Unibanco (US$ 1.85 billion, 80ª position), Nossa Caixa (US$ 440 million, 232ª position), Banrisul (US$ 284 million, 311ª position), Banco do Nordeste (US$ 220 million, 349ª position), BM&FBovespa (US$ 176 million, 398ª position), Redecard (US$ 159 million, 419ª position) and BIC (US$ 118 million, 490ª position).
In 2009, the list included eight Brazilian institutions. This year, BM&FBovespa, Redecard and BIC Banco have entered the list, and Banco Panamericano was left out.
The combined value of Brazilian brands has increased from US$ 18.28 billion to US$ 30.16 billion in 2010, representing growth of 65%; and the companies’ market value rose 139%, having gone from US$ 91 billion in 2009 to US$ 217 billion in 2010.
Bradesco, the most valuable brand in Brazil and Latin America, recorded growth of 72.7%. In the 2009 edition, the bank had ranked 12th.
The second best result was achieved by Banco do Brasil, which went from the 36th to the 26th position, growth of 133.6%. The remaining banks have also had significant growth, such as Itaú, 23.6%; Unibanco, 22%; Nossa Caixa, 65.8%; Banrisul, 67.4%; and Banco do Nordeste, 138.8%.
To Gilson Nunes, Brand Finance’s partner and CEO for South America, the positions were attained as a result of the banks’ good performance regarding their brand indicators related to image, credibility, confidence, solidity, rate of satisfaction, loyalty, dissemination, product and service quality, communication and marketing efficiency, return on investment, profitability, increase in revenues and reduction in risk exposure.
Also according to the CEO, the banking structure in Brazil also benefited from operational corrections implemented during the period of high inflation, moratoriums and liquidity crises in the recent past.
“In that respect, the Stimulus Program for the Restructuring and Strengthening of the National Financial System (Proer), which injected over 40 billion Brazilian reais (US$ ) into the Brazilian financial system, from 1995 to 2000, so as to safeguard our system against insolvency and shortage of liquidity, was of vital importance, ” said Nunes in a press release.
Global brands
The world’s ten most valuable banking brands are: HSBC (US$ 28.47 billion), Bank of America (US$ 26.04 billion), Santander (US$ 25.57 billion), Wells Fargo (US$ 21.9 billion), Citi (US$ 14.36 billion), BNP Paribas (US$ 14.0 billion), Goldman Sachs (US$ 13.88 billion), Chase (US$ 13.4 billion), Bradesco (US$ 13.29 billion) and Barclays (US$ 13.13 billion).
“In comparison with the 2009 surveys, the most significant changes in the first positions of this new ranking concern the entry of the Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Bradesco brands – representing, for the first time, the presence of a Latin American bank in the list of the world’s ten largest; as well as the exit of American Express, ICBC and China Construction Bank, which fell, respectively, to the 11th, 12th and 13th positions,” said Nunes in a press release.
According to the executive, the market value of the 500 financial institutions surveyed reached US$ 6 trillion in 2010 – representing growth of 62% over the previous year; and their combined brand value rose by 49%, having totaled US$ 716 billion. According to him, on average, 12% of these banks’ market value is ascribed to their brands.
The survey shows that banking brands from the United States and Europe were the most affected by the crisis, and therefore their presence among the world’s 500 most valuable have decreased. In the annual survey, there are 85 United States-based and 22 British brands, as against 95 and 24 in 2009, respectively. However, taking Europe as a whole into consideration, the number increased from 170 to 197 banking brands.
“The highlights were France, Spain and Switzerland, countries in which public confidence in the brands has not been seriously affected; and on the opposite direction, Brazil, China, India and Russia had better growth rates during and after the crisis,” Nunes concluded.
