According to our latest figures a 9% year-on-year increase in the number of company start-ups was recorded for the first six months of 2025, (11,276 in H1 2024 vs 12,745 in H1 2025).
The key economic sectors that saw a positive growth include motor (32%), IT (16%), agriculture (16%), manufacturing (16%), construction (13%) and hotels and restaurants (6%). 22 counties saw an increase in startups for H1 2025 compared to H1 2024, notably Roscommon (42%), Laois (32%), Clare (31%), Meath (27%), Westmeath (24%) and Kildare (21%). Counties with large urban populations including Dublin (8%) Limerick (24%) and Cork (8%) also experienced a positive first half of the year in new start-ups. Interestingly, April was the busiest month for new company startups in the year so far, with 2,716 new companies registered.
Commercial Judgments Figures Signal Underlying Strain
Despite the near double-digit growth in start-ups at a national level, the first six months of the year show that the number (30%) and value (152%) of commercial judgements in H1 2025 rose significantly compared to 2024, indicating early signs of credit pressures and increased stress for companies.
While National Startups show strong growth - nearing double digits in the first half of the year, our analysis also highlights a significant rise in Judgments against companies. The total value of Judgments reached E25.9 million, more than doubling compared to last year, with a notable increase also in the number of cases filed. These figures suggest that more companies are falling behind on payments and struggling to meet their financial commitments forcing creditors to seek judgments.
Consumer Judgments have also risen sharply in the first half of the year, further underscoring early signs of financial strain is not limited to the business community. Key contributing factors to this increase include cost of living, inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty, all of which have put pressure on the ability of both corporates and consumers to meet their financial commitments.
Within this economic environment, there appears to be less tolerance for late payments, particularly given the cashflow challenges potentially arising from these increased consumer and business overheads.
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By Business Barometer.
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