In Estonia, the financial sector has an exceptionally strong reputation – a grocery chain leads the way in Germany

The Reputation&Trust survey reveals that the most reputable company in Estonia is the financial group LHV. Three other financial sector companies are also among the ten most reputable companies in Estonia. In Germany, meanwhile, the most reputable company is the drugstore chain DM. Tesla has the weakest reputation among Germans, with its reputation having fallen by a record amount since last year.

LHV, considered Estonia’s most reputable company, has a reputation score of 4.14. The reputations of the Ikea furniture chain, which rose to second place, and the Wise payment service, which ranked third, are also excellent: Ikea’s score is 4.10 and Wise’s is 4.04.

Reputation&Trust, an organization’s reputation is considered excellent if its score is 4 or higher.

“Such a high reputation score indicates that all aspects of the company’s reputation are at a high level,” says Riku Ruokolahti, Director of Development at Reputation and Trust Analytics.

Reputation&Trust 2025 Reputation&Trust received responses from 2,793 Estonians, who provided 6,243 organizational ratings. A total of 26,997 respondents from six different countries participated in the survey.

 

 

“Research findings indicate that Estonia has a very strong financial sector. Four of the ten most reputable companies represent this sector: LHV, Wise, Swedbank, and SEB. This is completely exceptional; in the surveys we’ve conducted in the Nordic countries, financial sector players have never been so strongly represented at the top of the reputation rankings,” says Ruokolahti.

“The similarities between the Nordic countries and Estonia can be seen in Ikea’s success. This year, Ikea was Sweden’s most reputable company and ranked among the most reputable in Norway, Denmark, and Finland as well. The strong reputation of this leading Nordic brand extends to Estonia as well, where its reputation is even higher than in Sweden,” Ruokolahti continues.

 

 

Estonia's worst reputation: the bankrupt Nordica

At the bottom of the list of Estonia’s least reputable companies is the airline Nordica, which filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations at the end of 2024.

“Even though Nordica had already ceased operations, its poor reputation still lingered in people’s minds as late as 2025. The company’s reputation score of 1.96 is extremely low. Such low reputation scores are rare,” says Riku Ruokolahti.

The list of companies with the weakest reputations also includes players from the financial sector—Big Bank and Luminor—which are strongly represented among those with the strongest reputations. However, both companies’ reputations are at a moderate level; Reputation&Trust, a reputation is considered moderate if the score falls between 3 and 3.49.

“Although the financial sector comes across as strong in our study, it is clear that there is variation in the reputations of companies within this sector as well,” Ruokolahti notes.

 

 

Tesla's reputation took a record-breaking hit in Germany

In Germany, Tesla was rated as having the poorest reputation, with its reputation score dropping to a very low level of 2.48 in 2025. This represented a decline of 0.77 points from the previous year.

“We have been using Reputation&Trust to extensively analyze corporate reputations across various markets since 2013. Tesla’s 0.77-point drop in reputation in Germany is the largest decline we have seen during this period,” says Ruokolahti.

 

 

The DM chain has an exceptionally strong reputation

The retail chain DM, which specializes in cosmetics and household products, emerged as the company with the best reputation among Germans, receiving a reputation score of 4.14.

“Retailers rarely rank at the top of our reputation surveys. However, DM’s reputation is particularly strong, regardless of which other players in the industry we compare it to. It has even risen by 0.12 points from the previous year, which is a statistically significant change,” says Riku Ruokolahti.

“A reputation score this high indicates that all aspects of the company’s reputation are at a good or excellent level,” Ruokolahti points out.

 

This is how we conducted the study

The Reputation&Trust survey was conducted in six different countries, with a total of 26,997 respondents participating.

The companies with the best and worst reputations were selected for the study based on a preliminary survey conducted earlier in 2025. In the preliminary study, respondents in each country spontaneously named two companies they considered to have a particularly good reputation and two with a particularly poor reputation. Reputation and Trust Analytics does not influence the selection of companies.

The thirty companies with the most mentions in each country were examined in greater detail. The organizations were evaluated using Reputation and Trust Analytics’ Reputation&Trust, in which an organization’s reputation score is calculated as the average of eight different sub-areas. These areas are corporate governance, finance, leadership, innovation, engagement, products and services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point rating scale (1–5).

The lists included the ten companies with the highest ratings and the ten with the lowest.

With regard to Estonia, the aim of the Reputation&Trust survey was to assess the reputation of organizations operating in Estonia among the country’s citizens. Data for the survey was collected via an online questionnaire between June 4 and June 25, 2025.

In Estonia, 2,793 respondents participated in the survey. The survey targeted Estonians aged 15–65 nationwide. The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence.

With regard to Germany, the aim of the Reputation&Trust survey was to assess the reputation of organizations operating in Germany among the country’s citizens. Data for the survey was collected via an online questionnaire between June 3 and June 30, 2025.

In Germany, 3,594 respondents participated in the survey. The survey targeted citizens aged 15–65 nationwide. The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence.

 

For more information:

Riku Ruokolahti, Director of Development, Reputation and Trust Analytics, +358 400 512 200, riku.ruokolahti@reptrust.com