Overview
- A Schufa risk analysis published on October 8, 2026 shows 8.1 percent of adults had at least one negative entry at the end of 2025, up from 7.9 percent the year before.
- About 88,000 private insolvency filings were registered in 2025, an increase of 8.3 percent that Schufa says reflects growing but not runaway financial strain.
- The rise is concentrated in regional hotspots such as Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and parts of the Ruhr, where negative‑entry rates approach or exceed one in five adults.
- Market growth in small installment loans and buy‑now‑pay‑later deals drove the trend, with 7.5 million such contracts in 2025 and many consumers holding multiple sub‑€1,000 credits at once.
- Regulators will require stricter affordability checks from 20 November 2026, but consumer groups warn counseling services are already overburdened and the reform will not clear existing negative Schufa entries or current debts.