A list prepared by UK-based Brand Finance ranking the top 500 global brands of 2009 features seven Indian companies, of which three are new entrants.

At the 186th spot, State Bank of India (SBI) is the highest ranked Indian company, jumping from last year’s 344. Its brand value has risen to over $4.5 billion (Rs20,790 crore).

However, rankings of other Indian brands such as the Tata group, Reliance Industries Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd fell in the year. Tata slipped from 51 to 64, but its value rose from $9.9 billion to $11.2 billion.

The value of the Reliance brand has risen to $7.2 billion, but its ranking has fallen from 93 to 107. Airtel has slipped to the 288th spot, with brand value coming in at $3.1 billion, a tad higher than last year’s $3 billion.

Companies across the globe are increasingly realising that a brand with high value can reap rich financial rewards; brand value is being used to not only borrow money but also determine the value of a company during mergers and acquisitions.
With more Indian companies getting a global footprint, an increasing number of Indian companies are finding that they can boast brand values that can leave many multinational companies behind.

There are three new Indian entrants to the list, which includes Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL), which stands at 305. Infosys Technologies Ltd is ranked 423 and ICICI Bank Ltd, 439.

All these brands, however, have a long way to go to get to the top of the ladder, which retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. occupies for the second straight year, with a value of $41.3 billion.

Internet firm Google Inc. climbed to the second spot from last year’s five, pushing Coca-Cola Co. down from two to three. Google’s climb has also pushed the other established firms a step lower down the pecking order, with International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) moving down to four and Microsoft Corp. moving to five.

The value of the top 500 brands has grown by 26% in a year to over $2.8 trillion.