Corporate Insolvencies in Germany Jump 15.2% in December

Corporate insolvencies in Germany surged 15.2% year-on-year in December, according to preliminary data released Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), AA.com.tr reported. Final figures showed that corporate insolvencies rose 4.8% annually in October to 2,108 cases. The transportation and warehousing sector recorded the highest insolvency rate in October, with 12.73 bankruptcies per 10,000 companies, followed by the hospitality sector at 10.5 cases per 10,000 companies.

Germany
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Netherland's Annual Bankruptcies Fall by 15%, But Hospitality Businesses Still Failing Faster

Business bankruptcies in the Netherlands fell sharply in 2025, dropping 15 percent from a year earlier, but hospitality companies continued to fail at a faster pace than other sectors, according to new data released Monday by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), NLTimes.nl reported. A total of 3,636 businesses and institutions, including sole proprietorships, were declared bankrupt in 2025. That compares with 4,270 in 2024. The CBS data also show that accommodation and food services remained the most vulnerable sector, with the highest bankruptcy rate at the end of the year.
Netherlands
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Domo Chemicals Shuts Down Production in Eastern Germany Amid Insolvency Crisis

The chemical industry in eastern Germany faces heightened uncertainty following the suspension of operations at Domo Chemicals' three sites in Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, The Munich Eye reported. The Belgian-based company, which specializes in plastics production, has halted manufacturing activities due to unresolved insolvency proceedings and failed financial negotiations. According to official statements, the future of the Leuna site, a key hub for Domo's German operations, remains undetermined.

Germany
Belgium
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German Stockholders Want a Right to Invest Good Money After Bad

In Germany, some small investors who lost everything on companies on the verge of insolvency are complaining that they haven’t been allowed to put more money into the collapsed businesses, Bloomberg News reported. Battery maker Varta AG, auto supplier Leoni AG and communications-equipment company Mynaric AG all used a relatively new process known as StaRUG in the past few years to restructure their debts. In each case, stockholders were wiped out and, when it came time for the company to seek fresh equity capital, they weren’t given rights to subscribe to new shares.
Germany
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Electrecord Exits Insolvency After 8 Years With New Owner

Electrecord, Romania’s first record label, self-styled as the “Soundtrack of Romania” and active since 1932, has emerged from insolvency after eight years, Romania Journal reported. Control of the company was taken over by an individual who paid off its main debts and received shares in exchange for claims acquired from former creditors, and who is now holding over 95% of the company. Previously, Electrecord was controlled by the company’s Employees’ Association, holding 77.67% of the shares. Beneficiaries of the mass privatization program (PPM) from the 1990s owned 22.32%.
Romania
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Council Writes Off £3m Liberty Steel Rates Debt

Liberty Steel owed Rotherham Council more than £4.2m in unpaid business rates when it was issued with a compulsory winding up order in August 2025, the local authority has confirmed, BBC.com reported. Council leader Chris Read said the authority had written off more than £3m of the debt on the recommendation of external legal advisers but that this could be reversed if there was a possibility of recovering the money. The authority said it intended to submit a claim to administrators for the full outstanding balance.
United Kingdom
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Eurozone Retail Sales Rise Despite Cautious Consumer Backdrop

Eurozone retail sales rose in November, providing a boost for the economy in the final quarter of 2025 despite a consumer backdrop that remains cautious, the Wall Street Journal reported. Volumes rose 0.2% in the month compared with a revised 0.3% uptick for October, the European Union’s statistics agency said Friday. Retail sales slipped in Germany, but rose in France, Spain and Italy. The overall rise for the eurozone sees volumes in positive territory for a third straight month.
Europe
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Bank of England Might Need New Powers to Assess Private Markets, Lawmakers Say

British lawmakers are calling for the Bank of England to be handed new powers to gather data on private credit if a landmark stress test fails to shed enough light on risks posed by the fast-growing but opaque market, Reuters reported. In a report published on Friday entitled "Private markets: Unknown Unknowns", the cross-party House of Lords parliamentary committee said there was insufficient data to determine whether the growth of private markets posed a systemic risk to the UK's financial stability.
United Kingdom
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