Company insolvencies rise in Lower Austria despite national decline

Company insolvencies increased in Lower Austria in the first half of 2026, even as they fell slightly across Austria, according to ORF. A total of 582 companies in the province filed for insolvency, up 5.8 percent from 550 cases in the same period last year, the credit protection association Creditreform said.

The insolvencies of Eitek and Mediashop alone affected almost 500 employees.

Creditreform managing director Gerhard Weinhofer said the figures did not amount to a wave of insolvencies, but pointed to a persistently elevated level. Many companies continued to face weak demand, high personnel and energy costs, and generally strained earnings, he said.

Nationwide, 3,443 companies became insolvent in the first six months of the year, a decline of 1.6 percent compared with the first half of 2025. Creditreform said the level remained historically high and that there was no reason to sound the all-clear. The construction sector continued to be the main area of concern.