Coface: The number of insolvencies dropped by 5% in H1 | Progresiv
In the first semester of this year 4,199 insolvencies were opened, down by 5% compared to the same period last year, this being the minimum number of the last ten years, according to data from credit insurance company Coface. 
Insolvencies among companies with revenues above 0.5 million euros reached 316 in the first half of 2018, up by 20% over the same period of last year.
According to Coface, the top sectors with the most insolvencies reported to one thousand active companies are still run by firms specialized in the production and supply of electricity, heat, water and gas (31 insolvencies), followed by the manufacture of textiles, clothing and footwear (30 insolvencies) and extractive industries (26).
In the top 10 is also the food and beverage industry with 20 insolvencies registered in the first half of this year.
"The prospects for 2018 and the future are optimistic, although we should expect weaker economic development. After reaching a peak of 4.5% in 2017, Coface projected a decline of 4.1% in 2018 and 3.4% in 2019 in the Central and Eastern Europe region. Such a slowdown will not extend and businesses will continue to benefit from solid demand. Households will continue to rely on low unemployment and salary growth. Another positive contribution to growth will be the return of investment. However, the fall in the workforce in the region has reached high levels and has become an important obstacle, limiting economic and business expansion", says Grzegorz Sielewicz, Coface Regional Economist, Central and Eastern Europe.
