Intangible Assets and Intellectual Property

Intangible assets are the invisible engines that power modern knowledge-based economies. These assets include  intellectual property  (IP) rights, as well as related assets like brands , design, software, data and organizational know-how . While often invisible in corporate financial reports, intangible assets play a crucial role in fueling innovation, productivity and economic growth.

What are intangible assets?

Intangible assets are assets that lack physical substance yet have the potential to generate economic value for individuals, businesses and economies alike. Examples include IP rights like patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, and trade secrets, as well as related assets like software, data, and brands. Unlike tangible assets such as buildings and machinery, intangible assets may be more difficult to quantify but play an increasingly important role in modern economies.

For businesses, intangible assets create long-term value through the creation of a market niche, increasing revenue and profitability. For example, a company’s brand recognition can convey quality and reliability to customers. As a result, these intangible assets contribute to increased sales and may command higher prices.

At the economy-level, they can raise productivity, support higher-paying jobs and strengthen long-term competitiveness.

For universities and research institutions, intangible assets can attract funding, collaborations, and talent. Intangible assets play a critical role in shifting technology from the lab to the market, providing an economic incentive to transfer knowledge.

Measuring Investment in Intangible Assets

The investment in intangible assets is growing in most high-income economies and several middle-income countries. In some countries, such as the United States, such investment even surpasses investments in tangible assets.
Learn more about measuring investment in intangible assets and why it can be challenging.

Investment in intangible assets

Investment in intangible assets now makes up a large and growing share of world gross domestic product (GDP).

According to new figures from the World Intangible Investment Highlights, investment in intangible assets crossed the USD 10 trillion mark for the first time in 2025, and now makes up close to 13 percent of GDP across the covered economies.

Yet despite powering much of the modern economy, intangible assets remain largely undermeasured.

Learn more about measuring investment in intangible assets and why it can be challenging.

The value of corporate intangible assets

Recent estimates from Brand Finance used in the Global Innovation Index (GII) suggest that the global value of intangibles has been growing rapidly over the last 30 years, approaching USD 100 trillion in 2025.

Over the past decade, global value of corporate intangible assets has, on average, been equivalent to two-thirds of world GDP.

Two sides of the same coin: investment in intangibles versus valuation of intangibles

While valuation shows the current financial strength of intangible assets, investment reflects the resources firms dedicate to sustaining and growing that value.

Intangible assets and finance

Intangible asset finance is still in its early stages in many parts of the world, with governments and the private sector taking different approaches to this field.

Improving access to finance

Intangible assets have the potential to improve access to finance. While traditional collateral often uses tangible assets like real estate or equipment, the most valuable assets businesses own can be intellectual property and related intangibles. An IP strategy aligned with commercial objectives can help create revenue and increase a company’s potential for future growth. In addition, intangible assets often have standalone value, which can help recover losses in the case of default or business failure.

WIPO is working on moving IP finance from the margins to the mainstream. Read more about WIPO’s work on IP Finance .

Valuing intangible assets

There is no single methodology for valuing intangible assets. Depending on the type of asset, context and data availability, often a combination of different approaches is used. In most cases, the value of intangibles can be estimated considering the future economic benefits associated with the asset, like projected cash flows. However, for many intangibles, this can be difficult in practice. Evaluating the cost to repurchase or recreate an asset or comparing with transactions involving similar assets are also common methods to determine value. The valuation process involves professional judgment and a structured approach and may require information from other domains to get a complete picture.

WIPO has formed an Expert Consultative Group on valuation of intangible assets , made up of experts around the world to consider how to make progress on these issues.

Report series: Unlocking IP-backed Financing – Country Perspectives

This Series provides an opportunity to deepen dialogues around IP-backed financing, sharing best practices and shedding light on what it will take to mainstream.