Asia-Pacific's Best Companies of 2025

Methodology: How TIME and Statista Determined the Asia-Pacific's Best Companies of 2025

While much of the world was mired in geopolitical uncertainty during 2024, businesses across the Asia-Pacific enjoyed an upbeat year, with most major bourses ending in positive territory on the back of central banks easing monetary policy as well as an AI boom lifting tech stocks. Indeed, it’s banking and financial services that lead a new statistical ranking of 500 of the Asia-Pacific’s best companies by TIME and Statista, which are based on a formula of revenue growth, employee satisfaction surveys, and rigorous environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG, or sustainability) data. Whether 2025 proves a similarly positive year with returning U.S. President Donald Trump threatening a raft of trade tariffs is a question that will preoccupy C-Suites across the region.

Half of the top ten is made up of banks or financial services companies, led by Singapore’s DBS Bank in top spot, and Malaysia’s Maybank as runner-up. This also spotlights a boom in solutions-based sustainability investments as environmental concerns intensify. Both governments and companies are pushing for green innovations, including renewable energy solutions, electric vehicles (EVs), and sustainable supply chains. “Thinking about sustainability is embedded into the fabric of our business,” DBS Bank CEO Piyush Gupta told TIME in 2020.

This trend driving investment in eco-friendly technologies is also reflected by the fact that three of the top ten are automotive firms spearheading the transition to EVs, with Kia in third place overall. Last year also witnessed a ramping up of digital transformation and AI adoption, with businesses across the region accelerating initiatives to optimize operations, improve customer experience, and boost productivity. The rise of digital wallets, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies is transforming financial services in the region. Singapore, especially, is cementing its roles as a fintech hub, and consumers across the region are increasingly relying on mobile payments and innovative banking solutions.

Southeast Asian ride-hailing app Grab, which ranked 27th, has moved into a “superapp” territory by broadening its offerings to include financial services, including loans, as well as a broader suite of consumer services such as ticket bookings. “We started as a double bottom line company,” Tan told TIME in 2023, referring to a focus on social outcomes, as well as profit. “Today, we are aiming to be a triple bottom line company,” by adding environmental outcomes also, he adds: “You can create a lot of social impact.”

In addition, the health and wellness sectors are also growing significantly, especially post-pandemic. From fitness tech to organic food products and mental health services, businesses in the Asia-Pacific are capitalizing on increased consumer interest in well-being. Australia’s QBE Insurance Group ranked in 18th place with Japan’s Nippon Life Insurance Company and Dai-ichi Life Holdings coming in 28th and 33rd place respectively. Elsewhere, e-commerce continues to grow rapidly, especially in markets like China, India, and across Southeast Asia. However, businesses are focusing on creating seamless multi-channel experiences, blending physical and digital retail to cater to evolving consumer behaviors. Online retailer JD.com was China’s second best performing firm and 42nd overall.

Meanwhile, ongoing geopolitical challenges, such as tensions between the U.S. and China, are driving companies to diversify their supply chains. Many are shifting manufacturing or sourcing to Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, or Indonesia to reduce reliance on single markets, in a trend known as “near-shoring” or “friend-shoring.” The recent emergence of China’s new upstart DeepSeek, whose low-cost generative AI offerings have roiled U.S. tech stocks, came too late for consideration in this year’s list. However, other AI-focused firms such as Beijing-based Baidu ranked in 80th place overall. The current explosion of AI tools represent a “paradigm shift of human-computer interaction,” Baidu CEO Robin Li told TIME in 2023, predicting “millions and millions of new, AI-native applications that we probably cannot even imagine.” —Charlie Campbell