Global ETF News Older than One Year
AI to boost trade by nearly 40% by 2040 if gaps are bridged, World Trade Report 2025 finds
September 17, 2025-The 2025 edition of the World Trade Report reveals that, with the right enabling policies, artificial intelligence (AI) could boost the value of cross-border flows of goods and services by nearly 40% by 2040 thanks to productivity gains and lower trade costs.
However, the flagship publication by the WTO Secretariat notes that for AI and trade to contribute to inclusive growth-with benefits shared widely- policies need to be in place to bridge the digital divide, invest in workforce skills, and maintain an open and predictable trading environment.
According to the report, AI could lead to significant increases in trade and GDP by 2040, with global trade projected to rise by 34-37% across different scenarios based on different degrees of policy and technological catch-up between low-, middle- and high-income economies. Global GDP could meanwhile see a 12-13% increase across different scenarios. Trade, in turn, can be a powerful enabler of inclusive AI -supported growth by helping economies access AI-enabling goods, such as raw materials, semiconductors and intermediate inputs. The WTO report estimates that global trade in these goods totalled USD 2.3 trillion in 2023.
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO)
Finance Changed, Risks Didn't
September 10, 2025--New technologies are rewiring liquidity, payments, and economic stability
More than 15 years after the global financial crisis, the banking and financial system looks safer. But it’s also evolving in ways that are reshaping who provides liquidity, how money moves, and risks to economic and financial stability.
As a result, the next shock may begin not in a bank, but in the new infrastructure underpinning the system.
After 2008, regulators moved swiftly to raise capital standards and introduce new supervisory tools such as stress testing. Banks rebuilt their balance sheets and retreated from risky lending and arbitrage businesses. Asset managers were blamed for the financial turmoil at the onset of the pandemic, but not banks.
Yet even as regulators fortified banks, postcrisis innovations reshaped the financial landscape. Asset managers provided more liquidity as banks stepped back, nonbank start-ups built new risk assessment tools for institutional lenders, developers introduced a wider array of crypto assets, and central banks and governments established real-time payment systems.
Source: imf.org
Infographic-G20 Inflation Tracker: July
September 4, 2025--Key Highlights:
Argentina and Turkey remain outliers, with inflation at 36.6% and 33.5%-the highest in the G20 despite some cooling.
The United States held steady at 2.7%, lower than expected even amid tariff pressures.
The United Kingdom saw inflation climb to 3.8%, running hotter than market forecasts.
China recorded 0% inflation, underscoring persistent weak demand and deflationary pressures.
India managed inflation at just 1.5%-the lowest in the G20 outside China.
Australia, now included, posted 2.8% inflation-its highest in over two years, led by housing and energy.
Source: voronoiapp.com
How Stablecoins and Other Financial Innovations May Reshape the Global Economy
September 4, 2025--Policymakers will need to achieve a difficult balance between benefits and risks while safeguarding both individual consumers and financial stability
Three years ago, Finance & Development devoted a full issue to anticipating "The Money Revolution," driven by innovations in finance, such as crypto assets. That revolution is now unfolding.
This issue of F&D looks at the new frontiers of finance,where technology,data,and changing societal values are reshaping how people and institutions move money and trade financial assets,who provides liquidity,and where new risks are brewing. We bring together academics and policymakers to assess this complex and politically charged landscape,one that generates excitement and anxiety in equal measure.
Source: imf.org
Finance Changed, Risks Didn't
September 4, 2025--New technologies are rewiring liquidity, payments, and economic stability
More than 15 years after the global financial crisis,the banking and financial system looks safer. But it's also evolving in ways that are reshaping who provides liquidity,how money moves,and risks to economic and financial stability. As a result,the next shock may begin not in a bank,but in the new infrastructure underpinning the system.
After 2008,regulators moved swiftly to raise capital standards and introduce new supervisory tools such as stress testing. Banks rebuilt their balance sheets and retreated from risky lending and arbitrage businesses. Asset managers were blamed for the financial turmoil at the onset of the pandemic,but not banks.
Yet even as regulators fortified banks,postcrisis innovations reshaped the financial landscape.
Source: imf.org
Ondo Brings Over 100 Tokenized U.S. Stocks and ETFs Onchain, Starting on Ethereum
September 3, 2025--Ondo Global Markets offers 24/7 onchain exposure to U.S. stocks and ETFs
Over 100 U.S. securities are now available, with hundreds more coming
Available to qualifying global (non-U.S.) investors, making Ondo one of the largest gateways to U.S. markets for global investors
Ondo Finance and the Ondo Foundation, the leaders in tokenized real-world assets, today announced the launch of Ondo Global Markets, enabling non-U.S. investors to seamlessly access over 100 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on Ethereum, with plans to scale to hundreds more by year-end. Available now for eligible Asia-Pacific, African, and Latin American investors, Ondo Global Markets is one of the largest gateways for global exposure to U.S. markets.
Source: Ondo Finance
FBS Analysis Highlights How Political Shifts Are Redefining the Next Altcoin Rally
August 27, 2025--FBS, a leading global broker, has published a new market analysis highlighting that the upcoming altseason will look very different from past cycles. Unlike the retail-driven chaos of 2021, today's crypto market is heavier, more selective, and increasingly shaped by political and institutional forces.
According to FBS analysts, liquidity is no longer flowing freely across the entire market. Instead, it is concentrating at the top- in tokens with both strong fundamentals and political leverage. By mid-2025, the top 10 altcoins already captured over 70% of the total altcoin market cap, compared to less than 50% in 2021.
Source: financewire.com
Cryptocurrency Ranked: The 20 Largest Cryptocurrencies by Market Cap
August 7, 2025--Key Takeaways
Bitcoin remains the largest cryptocurrency with a $2.36 trillion market capitalization, more than 5x larger than the next largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum.
Layer 1 tokens and stablecoins dominate the rest of the top 10 largest cryptocurrencies, however, memecoin Dogecoin still ranks ninth with a $37 billion market cap.
Cryptocurrencies are among the most volatile and innovative asset classes of the past decade. While thousands of tokens exist, only a few command the lion’s share of market value.
This infographic ranks the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization using data from CoinGecko, offering a snapshot of the crypto hierarchy as of July 25th, 2025.
Source: visualcapitalist.com
CoinEx Research July 2025 Report: GENIUS Signed Bitcoin ReACTs
August 7, 2025--CoinEx Research's July 2025 Report: In July, the crypto market entered a renewed bullish phase as U.S. policymakers formally signed the GENIUS Act. The move propelled global crypto market capitalization above $4 trillion, while Bitcoin surged to a new all-time high of over $123,000.
Ethereum followed with a 54.3% monthly gain, powered by a record $5.3 billion in monthly ETF inflows and increased corporate adoption. As the Federal Reserve maintained rates and trade talks with China stalled, market sentiment turned cautiously optimistic. Meanwhile, Solana's token issuance market underwent a radical reshuffling, and stablecoin inflows hit $8 billion, suggesting that the next leg of the bull run may be underway.
Source: CoinEx
Services trade growth slows in first quarter of 2025
July 31, 2025--Global services trade growth slowed in the first quarter of 2025 to 5% year-on-year, roughly half the pace recorded in both 2024 and 2023. The appreciation of the US dollar against the euro and other currencies, coupled with increased economic uncertainty, contributed to the slowdown in services trade in the early months of the year.
Services exports in Europe and North America increased by only 3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, down from 8% and 11% respectively in the first quarter of 2024. In contrast, strong growth was sustained in Asia at 9%.
The overall slowdown in services trade was mainly due to "Other commercial services," a category that encompasses a wide variety of mostly digitally deliverable services ranging from financial to professional services. In 2024, "Other commercial services" accounted for some 60% of global services trade, with Europe contributing 40% of those exports.
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO)
