“Leading global companies reported total annual sales of $56 trillion (a 6% increase from last year’s record), profits of $5.5 trillion (+13.9%), and assets of $272 trillion (+12.9%). Most strikingly, the combined market capitalization of the companies on the Global 2000 list rose by a full 31.8% compared to last year’s record, increasing shareholder value by more than $30 trillion,” according to a Forbes press release.
Companies involved in artificial intelligence were the main drivers of growth. The combined market capitalization of semiconductor manufacturers, computer hardware companies, and software developers (including giants such as Microsoft and Alphabet) nearly doubled—from $23.9 trillion to $41.4 trillion. This sector accounted for 57% of the total increase in market capitalization among the companies on the list, Forbes notes.
However, even amid the AI boom, banks still dominate the Global 2000 list—both in terms of number and assets.
Banks Overtake AI
For the fourth consecutive year, the American bank JPMorgan Chase holds the top spot in the ranking, with assets of $4.9 trillion. Amazon came in second, thanks to revenue of $742.8 billion and a market capitalization of $2.8 trillion. Third place went to the investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.
Alphabet, one of the largest AI providers, moved up five spots to fourth place. The company’s market capitalization stood at $4.8 trillion. Fifth place went to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company, Saudi Aramco, with a market capitalization of $1.8 trillion.
The top ten also included Bank of America, Microsoft, and China’s three largest banks.
Companies operating in the AI sector saw the biggest jumps in the 2026 ranking. Nvidia, for example, took 27th place, becoming the most valuable semiconductor manufacturer on the list, with a market capitalization of $5.5 trillion. SK Hynix climbed 107 spots to rank 48th, while the cloud-based AI company CoreWeave jumped 706 spots to rank 1,093rd after entering the list last year.
In terms of geographic distribution, the United States leads the way—593 American companies made the list, down from 612 a year earlier. China ranks second with 300 companies, and when Hong Kong is included, the number of companies from Greater China reaches 340. Japan ranks third (179 companies), followed by the United Kingdom (67), South Korea (66 companies), Canada, and India (64 companies each).
At the same time, the U.S. remains the leader in terms of total market capitalization—approximately $67.9 trillion, which exceeds half of the total market value of all companies in the ranking.
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