1,702 company insolvencies in June — but how many are actually buyable?

The IWH figures cover partnerships and corporations — the core of acquirable businesses. 4,996 cases in one quarter means roughly 80 companies going insolvent every working day. In June, more than 14,000 jobs were affected in the largest 10% of insolvent companies alone; around 45,500 across the quarter.

Notably, the increase runs through almost every sector, with above-average readings in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. This is not one industry's crisis — it is a broad market cycle. For buyers it means the supply of acquisition targets is the largest in two decades.

At the same time, Handelsblatt reports a dramatically fallen rescue rate: only about 30% of companies that filed in 2025 were rescued (sale or insolvency plan) in the first half of 2026 — five years ago it was 57%. Administrators simply cannot find enough investors. A prepared buyer today faces less competition than almost ever before.

Our pipeline captured and enriched 1,393 new company insolvency announcements in June 2026 (analysis as of July 10). Of these:

480 preliminary proceedings (protective measures) — sorting is happening right now, and interested-party lists are being formed. 323 opened standard insolvencies — classic asset-deal territory where the administrator actively seeks continuation solutions. 268 self-administration (Eigenverwaltung) cases — proceedings where management restructures itself and frequently seeks investors directly.

Regionally, our data confirms the IWH picture: North Rhine-Westphalia leads with 319 cases, followed by Hesse (156), Lower Saxony (128) and Bavaria (123). If you want to buy in NRW or Hesse, you currently have the widest selection — and administrators there have the greatest pressure to find solutions.

In short: after enrichment, the headline numbers leave a three-digit monthly pool of proceedings worth serious review — opened cases with active operations, assets and a reachable administrator.

June's 480 preliminary proceedings will be opened over the coming weeks. The best moment for first contact with the administrator is typically weeks 2 to 6 after the opening order — exactly the window now starting for the June cohort. We described what that outreach should look like in our guide to contacting administrators.

The fallen rescue rate changes the negotiating position: an administrator who knows that 70% of proceedings end without an investor treats a structured buyer with secured financing not as a supplicant but as a solution.

Add the summer lull: many strategic buyers and family offices are in holiday mode in July/August. Reaching out now means competing with far fewer bidders for the same cases.

Every proceeding counted here is researchable on our platform — with AI-enriched dossiers (register data, Federal Gazette accounts, web presence, administrator contact) and a match score against your buyer profile. Instead of scanning §9 announcements by hand, you see each morning the cases that fit your search profile.

For every case, the Deal Playbook generates a concrete action plan: which assets matter, how to approach the administrator, which deadlines are running.

The June cohort is live — filter by federal state, industry and proceeding stage at /unternehmen.