Educational attainment is at an all-time high, with around half (48%) of young adults in OECD countries now completing tertiary education, up from just 27% in 2000. These graduates tend to enjoy higher earnings, more stable employment and better health, according to a new OECD report. Education at a Glance 2025 provides comparable national statistics measuring the state of education worldwide. It shows that, despite overall growth in tertiary attainment, family background continues to strongly influence who pursues higher education. Just...

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NEW YORK—The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data today released the August 2025 Survey of Consumer Expectations, which shows that households’ inflation expectations ticked up at the short-term horizon and remained unchanged at the medium- and longer-term horizons. Unemployment and job loss expectations worsened. Job finding expectations declined to a series low. Spending and household income growth expectations remained broadly unchanged. The survey was fielded from August 1 through August 31, 2025. The main findings from...

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Last year, almost 200 million Europeans cast their ballots to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. It was the moment of Europe’s choice. Turnout was the highest it had been in 20 years. This is proof that Europeans care about our Union and expect it to deliver on the challenges ahead. And this is the mission that the new Commission has taken on  – to deliver on our citizens’ expectations and aspirations.  The world around us is more conflictual and competitive than it has...

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By Gita Bhatt,  Head of Policy Communications, IMF 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,...

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Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament Brussels, 4 September 2025 It’s my pleasure to be back for our regular update on the digital euro. This is the ECB’s fourteenth exchange of views on the digital euro with this Committee. I have personally had the honour of addressing you five times. Our previous discussions covered a wide range of issues, including the preservation of...

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The European Commission has put forward its proposals to the Council for the signature and conclusion of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and the EU-Mexico Modernised Global Agreement (MGA). These landmark deals form a critical part of the EU's strategy to diversify its trade relations and strengthen economic and political ties with like-minded partners around the world. These partnerships will create billions of euro's worth of export opportunities for EU companies of all sizes, contribute to economic growth and competitiveness,...

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Today, the Commission has adopted a second package of seven sectoral proposals completing the framework for the next long-term EU budget for 2028–2034. These legal acts complete the MFF 2028-2034 proposal, and cover the following areas: • The Single Market and Customs Programme; •  The Justice Programme; •  The Euratom Research and Training Programme; •  The Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning; •  The Nuclear decommissioning assistance programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania (Ignalina programme); •  The Decision on the Overseas...

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Dinner speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at 2025 ECB Legal Conference “Building Europe’s Autonomy: Law, Institutions, Cooperation” in Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt, 1 September 2025 It is a real pleasure to join you tonight at the 2025 ECB Legal Conference. This year’s theme raises one of the defining questions of our time: how can Europe advance its autonomy while remaining committed to multilateral cooperation and the rule of law? Throughout the day you have been discussing the many ways in which...

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Following its stress test earlier this year, the Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced final individual capital requirements for large banks, effective on October 1. Large bank capital requirements are informed by the Board's stress test results, which provide a risk-sensitive and forward-looking assessment of capital needs. In April, the Board proposed a rule to average stress test results over two consecutive years to reduce year-over-year volatility from the stress test when calculating a firm's capital requirement. If the Board...

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Safeguarding natural resources generates high returns in some sectors. WASHINGTON, September 1, 2025—Ninety percent of the world lives with either degraded land, unhealthy air, or water stress, according to a new World Bank report, however, restoring natural systems is possible and can yield high returns. In low-income countries alone, eight of out ten people live without all three – healthy air, water, and land – according to the report, Reboot Development: The Economics of a Livable Planet. This poses major constraints to...

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