Opten: Persistent stagnation in company trends

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 09. 22. 12:13

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There was no real shift in August either: the number of company formations, dissolutions and proceedings also decreased, but all of this is a movement that is strongly in line with a seasonal month. The decline in the number of companies continues to persist, and the stagnation of formations reflects the coordination with the performance of the economy. A significant part of the dissolutions is still characterized by an unsettled background.

No room for maneuver – subdued economic dynamics

In the second quarter of 2025, the performance of the economy did not show any significant shift; according to the data, the change can be considered more of a statistical correction than a real expansion. Moreover, a slight decline is even emerging in a six-month perspective, which continues to be a sign of prolonged weakness.

In the first seven months of the year, retail trade exceeded the same period of the previous year by 2.9%, which is one of the most striking positives. At the same time, the decline in the performance of industry and agriculture noticeably limits the growth potential.

Company trend – end-of-summer calm, unchanged trend

According to OPTEN data, the number of joint ventures fell below 497,500 in August, the lowest level since 2005. Although this is a historical limit, it cannot be considered a crisis value based on the current structure of the economy. In the past two decades, the volume of GDP has expanded by almost one and a half times, so today an average business produces more added value than in 2005.

“It is not the low number of companies that is worrying, but the fact that active companies have to meet increasing efficiency pressure. The cleaning up of the entrepreneurial map will take longer, but lasting growth can only be expected if operating companies become stronger – and not only in their number, but also in their performance.”

– said Csaba Alföldi, company information expert at OPTEN.

The decline of about 900 companies is not a glaring figure, especially in a holiday-laden period like August, but it continues a downward trend that has been going on for 23 months.