The Federal Statistical Office recorded a significant rise in insolvencies for the first quarter of 2026. Courts received 6,275 corporate insolvency applications, 6.5 percent more than in the same period last year. In March alone, the number jumped by 15.8 percent. Private individuals are also increasingly affected: in March, 7,462 consumer insolvencies were counted, an increase of 18.9 percent compared to the same month last year. Over the entire first quarter, the number of personal bankruptcies rose by six percent.
Creditor claims from corporate insolvencies amounted to around 9.3 billion euros – significantly less than the 19.9 billion euros in the first quarter of 2025. According to the statistics office, this is because more large companies had filed for insolvency a year earlier. Per 10,000 companies, there were 17.7 insolvencies at the start of the year. The transport and warehousing, hospitality, and construction sectors were particularly hard hit.
Credit rating agency Creditreform expects the number of insolvencies to continue rising this year. A study by consulting firm EY Parthenon shows that banks specializing in crisis cases anticipate more restructurings – triggered by higher energy and raw material costs, geopolitical crises, and weaker economic growth. The highest restructuring needs are forecast for Germany’s automotive and mechanical engineering sectors, while pressure in the real estate sector is easing. As an export nation, Germany is suffering more from the global slowdown in economic growth than other European countries, the study says.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
