Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

The number of bankruptcies registered in commercial courts in February 2026 was lower than in the same month of 2025 (-2.7%) and 2024 (-3.3%), according to a statement issued by the Belgian Statistical Office, a copy of which we received. The statement added that, regionally, the number of bankruptcies decreased in the French-speaking region of Wallonia (-5.6%) and the Brussels-Capital Region (-3.7%) compared to January 2026, while it remained stable in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders.

Although the number of bankruptcies did not increase in any region compared to February 2025 and February 2024, it did increase in Flanders compared to February 2025 (+5.2%) and in the Brussels-Capital Region compared to February 2024 (+9.9%).

Since the beginning of this year, commercial courts have declared 1,208 bankruptcies in the Flanders region. This figure represents a 6.7% increase over the previous record set in 2024 (1,132 cases).

The number of bankruptcies registered in February 2026 increased compared to January 2026 in four sectors. These increases were:

60 to 78 cases in the liberal professions and scientific and technical activities sector (+18), the highest number since December 2025 (81 cases);

72 to 84 cases in the transport and storage sector (+12), the highest number since December 2025 (96 cases);

41 to 46 cases in the industry and energy sector (+5), the highest number since June 2025 (56 cases);

The number of bankruptcies in the hospitality sector increased from 166 to 168 cases (+2), the highest number since December 2025 (186 cases). The number of bankruptcies declared in the transport and storage sector reached 84, the highest figure ever recorded for this sector in February, surpassing the previous record of 74 in February 2025. Two months into 2026, the Belgian transport and storage sector recorded a record number of bankruptcies, with 156 declared, a 20.9% increase compared to the previous record in 2025. The number of jobs lost in February 2026 due to bankruptcies reached 2,342, a 0.9% increase compared to January 2026 (2,322 jobs). This represents a 9.5% decrease compared to February 2025, but an 8.7% increase compared to February 2024. Only in Flanders (+5.8%) was the number of jobs lost in February 2026 higher than in January 2026. This number did not increase in any region compared to February 2025 or February 2024.

The number of jobs lost in February 2026 due to bankruptcies increased compared to January 2026 in six sectors. Five of these sectors experienced larger job losses compared to February 2025 and February 2024:

The construction sector, with 465 job losses, the highest for February since 2015 (475);

The trade sector, with 444 job losses, the highest for February since 2021 (706);

The hospitality sector, with 431 job losses, the highest for February since 2018 (548);

The transportation and storage sector, with 247 job losses, the highest for February since 2023 (257). Information and Communications Sector: Lost 76 jobs, the highest number for February since the previous record in 2014 (72 jobs).