The BrandFinance® Banking 500 is an annual report that ranks the world's most valuable banking brands. The study includes data from over 50 markets and lists the top 500 banking brands, each with a brand rating and brand value. The brand value is a measure of the financial strength of the brand. In 2012, the collective brand value of the top 500 banking brands fell by US$94.78 billion due to the European sovereign debt crisis and economic instability in Asia and political deadlock in America. However, the total value of the top 500 banking brands was still US$746.7 billion, equivalent to the GDP of Turkey, highlighting the importance of brand value to international banks. The decline in brand value was not evenly distributed, with European brands seeing a 23% decline and North American brands seeing a 5% decline, while Asian and Middle Eastern brands saw an increase.
