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SOUTH BEND, Ind.—With the average price of a new car now hovering around $50,000, the monthly payment—not the sticker price—has become the real make-or-break factor for most consumers. And that’s driving renewed interest in vehicle leasing, a market segment long dominated by captive and large bank lenders but increasingly catching the eye of credit unions, according to analysts.

A seismic shift is underway in the U.S. finance ecosystem. Stablecoins, which are digital dollars backed by fiat currency on a 1:1 basis, are moving beyond their reputation as crypto experiments, thanks to clear new legislation and technological integrations by key service providers.

WASHINGTON—Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said Monday that the federal banking system must fully adapt to crypto and digital-asset activity or risk long-term stagnation, arguing that innovation tied to blockchain technology can strengthen — not destabilize — the traditional banking system when properly supervised.

MIAMI—With markets pricing in an 87% chance that the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points Wednesday, a new WalletHub survey finds that most Americans are far from enthusiastic about the prospect, reflecting deep-seated anxiety over inflation and growing distrust of official economic data.

WASHINGTON--As part of an advocacy network working beyond the U.S., America’s Credit Unions’ World Affairs Committee met Monday to discuss the ongoing partnership between the organization and the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), ACU reported.

PLANO, Texas—After years of high borrowing costs and stubborn inflation that have strained household budgets, new delinquency data across major consumer credit categories paint a mixed but more resilient picture of the U.S. economy, with credit-card delinquencies easing even as stress builds in auto loans and mortgages.

WASHINGTON—Automakers and consumers are unlikely to see immediate price relief following this week’s announcement of relaxed federal fuel-economy standards, according to new data and analysis from Edmunds.