German corporate insolvencies hit 13-year high in first half

BERLIN, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The number of corporate insolvencies in Germany rose to a 13-year high in the first half of 2026 despite signs of a nascent recovery in Europe's largest economy, figures from the federal statistics office showed on Friday.

Local courts reported 12,812 corporate insolvency filings from January to June, an increase of 6.7% year-on-year, with transportation and warehousing the most affected sectors.

• The last time a higher figure was recorded for the first half was in 2013, with 13,253 cases.

• Local courts estimated creditors' claims arising from the corporate insolvencies at around €18.5 billion ($21.5 billion). That is significantly less than the €28.2 billion reported for the same period last year, when more economically significant companies went insolvent.

• Consumer insolvencies also rose slightly, by 2.4%, for a total of 38,932 cases.

• Germany's economy has recently regained its footing, expanded more strongly in the second quarter than initially estimated, while business morale rose to its highest level in a year in August.

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(Reporting by Rene Wagner, writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas Seythal)