The India story got stronger on the global arena with the country expanding its presence on the elite list of Fortune Global 500 companies, as the State Bank of India [Get Quote] has become the sixth domestic firm to feature in the league.

Besides SBI's grand entry to the list, all five current incumbants -- Reliance Industries Ltd [Get Quote], Indian Oil Corporation [Get Quote], Bharat Petroleum Corporation [Get Quote], Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd [Get Quote] and Oil and Natural Gas Corp -- have scaled up the ranking on the list of world's biggest 500 companies.

The US-based energy giant ExxonMobil tops the list of Fortune Global 500 companies, which would be published in the August issue of the CNN-Time Warner group magazine that hits the news stands on July 24.

Among the six Indian companies on the list, IOC holds the top rank at 153rd position, followed by RIL at 342th rank, BPCL at 368, HPCL at 378th, ONGC [Get Quote] at 402nd and the new entry SBI has been placed at 498th rank.

RIL has scaled up 75 ranks on the list from the previous year, while IOC has gained 17 positions, BPCL has jumped 61 ranks, HPCL has moved up 58 positions and ONGC has scaled up 52 positions. RIL figures among the top 25 climbers on the list.

There are 42 new arrivals on the list with SBI being the single new entry from India.

The US leads the pack in terms of home to global giants with 170 Global 500 companies headquartered there. However, India and China are gaining ground, the magazine said.

In terms of cities, Tokyo leads the pack with as many as 52 Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, while four companies -- RIL, BPCL, HPCL and SBI -- have their headquarters in Mumbai. 

IOC, which leads the pack of Indian companies present on the list, and ONGC are based in New Delhi. IOC has been ranked at 26th position among the Asian companies present on the list.

Paris holds the second position with 27 companies, while New York is at third position with 24 companies, followed by London at fourth rank with 23 companies and Beijing at fifth position with 15 Fortune Global 500 firms.

The magazine said there are eight women CEOs ruling the Global 500 companies.

While Exxon Mobil leads the pack at first position, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores holds the second position. Royal Dutch Shell, BP, General Motors, Chevron, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota Motor, Ford Motor and ConocoPhillips are the other companies on the top 10 list.

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