UK Insolvency Intelligence
April 2026
2,595 total appointments in April 2026, up 1% year-on-year - the first month-on-month year-on-year increase in the 2026 series. Administration and CVA appointments reached 161, the highest single month in 2026. FRP Advisory retains top SPK Index position.
Julian Dobbin, CEO
Insolvency Intelligence
2,595
Total Appointments
+1% vs Apr 2025
161
Admin / CVA
+41 vs Apr 2025
737
MVL
+63 vs Apr 2025
1,697
CVL / Other
-74 vs Apr 2025
Executive Summary
UK insolvency activity returned to positive year-on-year territory in April 2026, with 2,595 total appointments recorded - an increase of 30 (+1%) against April 2025's 2,565. This marks the first month in 2026 where total appointments have risen against the equivalent month in 2025, driven primarily by a surge in Administration and CVA activity alongside a recovery in MVL volumes.
Administration and CVA appointments reached 161 in April 2026, up 41 on April 2025's 120 - the highest single monthly count in the 2026 series to date, and a continuation of the upward trend that has been building since January. On a cumulative 2026 basis (January-April), Admin/CVA appointments total 573, running +51 ahead of the same period in 2025 (522), representing a +10% uplift in complex insolvency activity year-on-year.
MVLs also moved ahead of 2025, with 737 appointments against 674 in April 2025 (+63). CVL and other appointments fell 74 to 1,697, partially offsetting the gains in the other categories. Cumulative 2026 total appointments stand at 10,440, down 6% on the same four-month period in 2025 (11,111), though the gap is narrowing as Admin/CVA momentum builds.
| Type | Apr 2025 | Apr 2026 | Mvmt | 2025 YTD | 2026 YTD | YTD Mvmt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin / CVA | 120 | 161 | +41 | 522 | 573 | +51 |
| MVL | 674 | 737 | +63 | 3,900 | 3,577 | -323 |
| CVL / Other | 1,771 | 1,697 | -74 | 6,689 | 6,290 | -399 |
| Total | 2,565 | 2,595 | +30 | 11,111 | 10,440 | -671 |
Excludes Official Receiver and subsidiary appointments. YTD = January to April cumulative.
- FRP Advisory leads SPK Index at 1,745 points - 175 total appointments including 28 Admin/CVA, up 10 on April 2025. Dominant in Yorkshire/Humber (864 regional SPK) and London (620).
- Begbies Traynor second at 1,596 points with 282 total appointments - including 30 Admin/CVA, up 16 on April 2025. Highest appointment volume of any firm in the month.
- Admin/CVA momentum at 2026 series high - 161 in April is the highest single month in 2026. Cumulative YTD of 573 is +10% ahead of 2025 pace. Abbey Taylor Jones, Moorfields, and KBL Advisory all posted strong April figures.
- Notable appointments include Fusion Lifestyle (S&W), GivEnergy (CB Business Recovery), Kings Education (Begbies Traynor), and MeatLiquor (Rushtons Insolvency) - spanning leisure, clean energy, education, and hospitality.
Sector Breakdown (Non-MVL)
Cumulative year-to-date comparison by sector for January-April 2026 versus January-April 2025 (non-MVL appointments). Real estate, human health, civil engineering, music/TV/film, sports and recreation, architecture, financial services, and manufacturing (metal) all showed increases in 2026.
| Sector | 2025 YTD | 2026 YTD | Mvmt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & beverage services | 1,008 | 975 | -33 |
| Specialist construction | 717 | 676 | -41 |
| Retail trade | 608 | 550 | -58 |
| Building construction | 426 | 426 | - |
| Office & business support | 357 | 298 | -59 |
| Personal services (other) | 313 | 287 | -26 |
| Wholesale trade | 342 | 269 | -73 |
| IT programming / consulting | 259 | 249 | -10 |
| Real estate | 184 | 217 | +33 |
| Head offices & consultancy | 232 | 215 | -17 |
| Wholesale & retail trade | 198 | 191 | -7 |
| Employment services | 167 | 155 | -12 |
| Land transport & pipelines | 148 | 140 | -8 |
| Prof, scientific & tech | 148 | 117 | -31 |
| Human health | 94 | 120 | +26 |
| Financial services excl ins | 98 | 110 | +12 |
| Manufacturing (metal) | 86 | 101 | +15 |
| Sports & recreation | 98 | 102 | +4 |
| Architecture & engineering | 91 | 99 | +8 |
| Civil engineering | 54 | 71 | +17 |
| Music / TV / Film production | 56 | 67 | +11 |
| Manufacturing (other) | 87 | 77 | -10 |
| Building + Landscape services | 104 | 79 | -25 |
| Education | 69 | 74 | +5 |
Appointments by Firm - Top 25
Ranked by SPK Index score for April 2026. Comparative columns show Admin/CVA appointments only versus April 2025.
| # | SPK | Firm | Total | Admin/CVA | Other | MVL | Apr 25 | vs 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,745 | FRP Advisory | 175 | 28 | 89 | 58 | 18 | +10 |
| 2 | 1,596 | Begbies Traynor | 282 | 30 | 193 | 59 | 14 | +16 |
| 3 | 471 | Leonard Curtis | 85 | 9 | 44 | 32 | 8 | +1 |
| 4 | 414 | Quantuma | 72 | 7 | 43 | 22 | 6 | +1 |
| 5 | 272 | KBL Advisory | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 | +4 |
| 6 | 251 | Opus | 45 | 4 | 26 | 15 | 3 | +1 |
| 7 | 248 | SFP | 82 | 2 | 68 | 12 | 4 | -2 |
| 8 | 203 | Moorfields Advisory | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | +5 |
| 9 | 185 | S&W | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | +2 |
| 10 | 153 | Valentine | 18 | - | 12 | 6 | 1 | -1 |
| 11 | 149 | Forvis Mazars | 14 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 1 | +1 |
| 12 | 138 | Abbey Taylor Jones Limited | 19 | 5 | 14 | - | - | +5 |
| 13 | 137 | BDO | 15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | +1 |
| 14 | 136 | Rushtons Insolvency | 13 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | +1 |
| 15 | 127 | CG & Co | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 16 | 126 | Antony Batty & Co | 20 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| 17 | 126 | Herron Fisher | 7 | - | 6 | 1 | - | - |
| 18 | 110 | Interpath | 16 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 4 | -3 |
| 19 | 110 | JT Maxwell | 29 | 1 | 28 | - | - | +1 |
| 20 | 105 | Leading Business Services | 58 | - | 40 | 18 | - | - |
| 21 | 104 | PwC | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | - |
| 22 | 104 | KRE Corporate Recovery | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | - | +2 |
| 23 | 96 | CB Business Recovery | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 24 | 93 | Kroll | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | +2 |
| 25 | 92 | Teneo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
About the SPK Index: The SPK Index is a proprietary algorithm managed by Spark that ranks firms based on a weighted combination of appointment volume, complexity (by company size), and appointment type. A firm with fewer appointments but higher-complexity cases can outrank a firm with higher raw volume. Read the full methodology →
Notable Appointments
Selected high-profile insolvency appointments from April 2026, ranked by turnover or asset value. Financial details from most recently filed accounts at Companies House.
| Company | IP Firm | Type | Region | Turnover | Staff | Lenders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion Lifestyle | S&W | Admin | South East | £50.8m | 1,865 | Natwest |
| GivEnergy Ltd | CB Business Recovery | Admin | Midlands | £50.3m | 74 | Natwest, RBS Invoice Finance |
| Prime Education & Training Ltd (Kings Education) | Begbies Traynor | Admin | South East | £43.6m | 468 | Barclays Bank |
| Engineering Technology Group Holdings Ltd | Teneo | Admin | Midlands | £23.3m | 89 | Santander |
| Meatailer Ltd (MeatLiquor) | Rushtons Insolvency | Admin | London | £15.2m | 226 | - |
| Habitas Group Ltd | Alix Partners | Admin | London | £12.7m | 470 | - |
| JKPG Realisations 2026 Ltd (John K. Philips) | Forvis Mazars | Admin | North West | £10.2m | 117 | Lloyds Commercial Finance, Natwest |
| Envisics Holdings Ltd | FRP Advisory | Admin | South East | £1.9m | 96 | - |
| UK Truck & Plant Group Ltd | JT Maxwell | Admin | Northern Ireland | - | 43 | Time Finance |
| The LED Studio Ltd | Opus / Quantuma | Admin | South East | - | 15 | Abcor, Handelsbanken, Innovation Finance |
Financial details from most recent publicly filed accounts at Companies House. Lender information from charge register. Staff figures from last filing.
SPK Index - Regional Breakdown
Top firms by SPK Index score in each UK region for April 2026.
01. North East
- FRP Advisory156
- Begbies Traynor62
- KBL Advisory47
- Smith & Barnes37
- Leonard Curtis30
02. North West
- FRP Advisory359
- Begbies Traynor240
- KBL Advisory157
- Leonard Curtis106
- SFP67
03. Yorkshire / Humber
- FRP Advisory864
- Begbies Traynor519
- Rushtons Insolvency88
- Leonard Curtis74
- XL Business Solutions60
04. Midlands
- Teneo269
- CB Business Recovery83
- Begbies Traynor60
- Leonard Curtis58
- Opus38
05. East Midlands
- Begbies Traynor145
- FRP Advisory93
- Cowgills65
- John Harlow Insolvency & Corporate Recovery52
- PKF Smith Cooper50
06. East of England
- FRP Advisory213
- Begbies Traynor96
- KBL Advisory58
- Forvis Mazars57
- KRE Corporate Recovery50
07. South East
- FRP Advisory485
- Begbies Traynor370
- Quantuma188
- Opus137
- Valentine118
08. South West
- Begbies Traynor85
- Monahans62
- KPMG60
- Kirks Insolvency29
- FRP Advisory23
09. London
- Begbies Traynor781
- FRP Advisory620
- Moorfields Advisory493
- Herron Fisher196
- Valentine116
10. Wales
- Begbies Traynor52
- Leonard Curtis42
- Purnells19
- Stones & Co15
- FRP Advisory9
11. Scotland
- BDO98
- Quantuma52
- Johnston Carmichael50
- Henderson Loggie41
- Interpath24
12. Northern Ireland
- JT Maxwell46
- Keenan Corporate Finance23
- McCambridge Duffy16
- McKeague Morgan12
- Artemis Insolvency Services8
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