French corporate bankruptcies surge 2026

In late July 2026 Allianz Trade released a study showing a sharp increase in French corporate insolvencies. The first report (26 July) recorded 18,004 failures in Q2 and 37,298 in the first half of the year, a 5 % year‑on‑year rise, and highlighted especially high activity in Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes, with the Rhône department alone accounting for 29 % of regional cases. Sectors such as construction, hospitality, retail and tertiary were all seeing double‑digit growth.

A follow‑up report (29 July) confirmed the same overall figures and added that the southern Occitanie region experienced a 7 % increase, driven largely by the hospitality‑restaurant sector. Overseas departments showed a 30 % jump in failures, with Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion posting the steepest rises. The combined data underscore a broadly worsening outlook for French businesses amid weak economic conditions, high inflation and elevated interest rates.