Business Start-Ups See Modest Recovery in 2026 with 491 New Companies Registered

New company registrations have shown signs of a cautious recovery in the first quarter of 2026, with 491 new businesses incorporated. While this represents a slight increase compared to the same period in 2025, the figures remain significantly lower than the record peaks seen two years ago.

The Numbers Behind the Recovery

According to the latest data from the Registrar of Companies, the total of 491 incorporations for Q1 2026 marks a modest rise from the 459 recorded in Q1 2025.

Despite this upward trend, current entrepreneurial activity is still struggling to regain the momentum of 2024, when first-quarter registrations reached a high of 2,926.

Shift to Online Registrations

The data reveals a stark shift in how businesses are being formed, with online applications now dominating the process. In the first quarter of 2026:

• 332 companies were incorporated online.
• 159 companies were incorporated at the counter.

This continues a long-term trend toward digital services. For comparison, in the peak period of Q1 2024, online registrations accounted for 2,659 of the total, while only 267 were handled at the counter.

Historical Context

The decline from the 2024 peak was dramatic. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of online incorporations plummeted from 2,659 to just 270.

Although the 2026 figures suggest the market is beginning to stabilise, the current total of 491 is less than a fifth of the volume seen during the 2024 boom.

For further perspective, Q1 2023 saw a total of 2,497 incorporations, with the vast majority (2,491) completed online and a mere 6 handled at the counter.

While the “timid” restart in 2026 offers a glimmer of hope for the economy, the gap between current levels and previous years highlights the distance yet to be covered to reach former heights of business creation.

Source: Defi Media