Credit insurer Allianz Trade, in a new study, found that, among companies with more than 50 million euros of turnover, a total of 33 corporate bankruptcies were recorded in the first half of 2026—ten percent more than in the same period last year. Already, 2025 had the highest insolvency rate since 2015. As Allianz Trade points out, large companies are often at the center of complex value chains, implying that insolvencies of this magnitude affect suppliers, service providers, and other business partners as well.
With seven major insolvencies, the automotive industry was particularly hard-hit in the first half of the year. It was followed by the retail sector with five major bankruptcies, as well as the mechanical engineering and services sectors, each with four cases. As the number of insolvencies rose, so did the economic damage.
