Crisi d’impresa, liquidazioni giudiziali in aumento del 13,6% nel terzo trimestre

Business failures and judicial liquidations are on the rise in Italy, with a 13.6% increase in judicial liquidations during the third quarter of 2026, totaling 2,158 cases. An additional 259 procedures occurred, with 162 in the retail sector, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the overall increase. These findings, analyzed by the Crif group (Cribis), confirm that the trend of growing procedures, ongoing since 2022, has not ended.

The investigation by Raffaella Calandra published in Sole 24 Ore reported business struggles and showed encouraging data for the first half of the year, with the number of failures stabilizing at 2025 levels but with a 1% dip. However, the Cribis assessment of the July-September period reveals a significant surge in failures compared to the same period in the past three years: +13.6% compared to 2025, +14.9% compared to 2024, and +38.1% compared to 2023.

Despite this rise, the number remains 7.3% lower than the third-quarter 2019 levels, prior to the pandemic. Cribis CEO Marco Preti stated, "The increase confirms that part of the Italian entrepreneurial fabric continues to face significant difficulties. In a phase like this, high energy costs and fuel price hikes raise production and transportation costs, exerting pressure on prices throughout the supply chain."

Retailers are the most affected, with 695 judicial liquidations in three months, up 30.4% compared to the previous year, more than double the general average. Nearly a third of these cases involve retail. Services follow with 485 cases, a 4.3% rise, construction with 432, up 7.7%, and industry with 338, a 4.6% increase. Geographically, Lombardy and Latium lead the pack, with Lombardy reporting 419 procedures, a 4.8% rise, and Latium with 293, a 21.6% increase.

The third place goes to Piedmont with 183 liquidations and a 22% increase. Preemptive agreements, which allow struggling companies to propose plans for debt restructuring to the court, also rose in the third quarter of 2026 to 131, a 44% jump compared to the same period in 2025. Despite the overall trend, Preti advises adopting a preventive approach to risk management, especially in the context of a global, multi-crisis period affecting Italy and its businesses.