Over 14,000 New Entries in the Swiss Commercial Register in the First Quarter of 2026

First Quarter 2026 with Solid Growth The entrepreneurial momentum in Switzerland remains high. In the first quarter of 2026, a total of 14,666 new companies were registered in the commercial register. This corresponds to an increase of 5% compared to the first quarter of 2025.

This positive development of the Swiss business location continues into the new year. The figures underline the ongoing high willingness to establish companies as well as the attractiveness of Switzerland for start-ups, SMEs, and new business models.

March as the Strongest Month of the Current Year March was particularly strong: in this month alone, 5,293 new companies were founded. This is around 7% more than in February 2026 and at the same time, the highest monthly figure of the year so far.

In the entire previous year, only December 2025 also exceeded the 5,000 new entries mark.

Chart New Foundations Switzerland: Comparison of Recent Months

Zurich Clearly at the Top The Canton of Zurich confirms its leading role as the most significant economic location in Switzerland. In March 2026, 941 new companies were entered into the commercial register here. Thus, Zurich again significantly leads all other cantons and remains the most important growth engine in the field of new companies.

Bern, Aargau, and Zug with High Dynamics Other economically strong cantons also experienced robust development in March. In the Canton of Bern, 418 new companies were registered, highlighting the constant strength of the location.

The Canton of Aargau achieved 353 new entries, confirming its growing importance as an economic area in German-speaking Switzerland.

The Canton of Zug remains a particularly dynamic economic location with 308 new entries and continues to benefit from its high attractiveness for company foundations and holding structures.

Eastern Switzerland Remains an Important Growth Factor With 281 new entries, the Canton of St. Gallen underscores its continuous importance and secures the top position within Eastern Switzerland.

Also, Deletions at a High Level In parallel with strong entrepreneurial activity, the number of deletions also increased. In March 2026, 3,092 companies were removed from the commercial register. This represents an increase of 10% compared to February and at the same time the highest monthly value of the current year.

Compared to the previous year's quarter, there is also an increase of around 7%.

Mutations Also Increase Switzerland-Wide The number of commercial register mutations reached 21,721 entries in March, which corresponds to an increase of 15% compared to the previous month.

Mutations include, among others: purpose changes, relocations, capital adjustments, personnel changes in the board of directors and executive management, etc. The development in liquidations remains noteworthy. A total of 3,228 liquidation-related entries were registered.

Of these, 320 companies were newly put into liquidation, based on Art. 731b OR (organizational deficiencies). Compared to February, this corresponds to a reduction of 14%.

Liechtenstein with a Significant Quarterly Increase The Principality of Liechtenstein also shows a positive development in the first quarter of 2026. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, the number of new foundations rose by 16%.

In March 2026, 69 new companies were registered. At the same time, 95 companies were deleted, while the number of commercial register changes rose to 908 entries. The development in Liechtenstein thus remains significantly more volatile than in Switzerland, but shows noticeable growth in a quarterly comparison.

All current commercial register figures for the Principality of Liechtenstein, based on data up to 30 March 2026, are available at www.firmenbuch.li.

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