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 had the highest number of unemployed in twelve years in 2025 and this year will continue to be challenging for Europe's biggest economy, the labour office said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The average number of jobless in 2025 rose by 161,000 to 2.948 million, the highest annual figure since 2013, according to the labour office. Although the trough has probably been reached, a slight easing is not expected until the middle of the year at the earliest, said labour office head Andrea Nahles.

A pension fund for more than 10,000 German dentists has launched legal action against its former auditor, an external adviser and several ex-managers after suffering investment losses of over €1.1 billion (about C$1.77 billion), OralHealthGroup.org reported. Versorgungswerk der Zahnärztekammer Berlin (VZB), which manages roughly €2.2 billion (C$3.55 billion) for dentists in Berlin, Brandenburg and Bremen, said the losses were significant enough to prompt a corruption probe by Berlin prosecutors.

Germany’s unemployment rate held steady in the last month of 2025, though actual jobless numbers inched higher, signaling an economy that still lacks momentum, the Wall Street Journal reported. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3% in December, where it has been since March, data from Germany’s Federal Employment Agency published Wednesday said. However, the rate is higher than the start of last year, and there are signals that the German economy is on a weak footing heading into 2026.

The German subsidiaries of the Belgian chemical company DOMO Chemicals - DOMO Chemicals, DOMO Caproleuna and DOMO Engineering Plastics - have filed for insolvency, CHEManager-Online.com reported. The three German companies concerned belong to DOMO Chemicals, a family-run group of companies headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. The group manufactures and markets polymers, engineering plastics and high-performance fibers worldwide for customers in the automotive industry, for consumer and industrial goods as well as electrical engineering and electronics.

Klöckner Pentaplast announced yesterday that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has confirmed its reorganization plan, PlasticsToday.com reported. The plan, according to the company, was developed and financed with the support of an ad hoc group of its first-lien lenders and noteholders. Upon completion of the restructuring, Klöckner Pentaplast said it will reduce approximately €1.3B ($1.5B) of funded debt.

A renowned German distillery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, recognized internationally for its premium spirits, has initiated insolvency proceedings due to severe economic challenges, The Munich Eye reported. The distillery, known for producing high-quality gin, rum, and liqueurs, has faced mounting financial difficulties despite accumulating over 180 international awards since its establishment in 2014.