Several major events, whose results will influence markets, industries, and households for years to come, have shaped the US and global economy in 2025. From policy breakthroughs to technological milestones, the following six stories highlight pivotal developments set to leave a lasting imprint on global and domestic economies. In a number of ways, 2025 has turned out to be a watershed year for the national and international economy. Positive and negative developments transformed entire industries, markets, and individual households.
In addition to government policies and multiple technology-related milestones, the mid-decade year has already proved to be a turning point. Solid state batteries are on the verge of becoming commonplace thanks to a years long project headed by a consortium of companies. On top of that, the US digital dollar pilot project finally became a reality while tech industry leaders invested heavily in upskilling programs for AI-based jobs. In the medical services segment, consumers are paying for all sorts of procedures in a variety of ways, which is vastly different from the recent past. Here are details about the leading economic developments and stories that should put 2025 in the history books.
Medical Bill Payment Methods Make Life Easier for Patients
With the advent of digital banking and alternative financing, millions of consumers have begun taking advantage of varied methods for settling their hospital and doctor bills. Gone are the days when the only ways to cover a visit to the ER or doctor's office were an employer backed health insurance plan or Medicare. As 2026 approaches, people are discovering that they finally have choices when it comes time to settle up, and that's mostly a good thing. Indeed, there's no reason why getting help with a common injury or ailment should be overwhelming.
Anyone who wants to explore the topic in detail can review an informative guide that delineates the most popular and lesser-known healthcare financing methods. A decade ago, the entire landscape of the wellness marketplace was highly inflexible, particularly with respect to medical loans and financing in a changing economy. Today, consumers can still use insurance, but they also have options like health savings accounts, loans, provider plans, negotiation programs, tax advantaged savings accounts, buy now pay later programs, direct negotiation, and government programs based on income and other criteria
Launch of the Digital Dollar is a Game Changer
History was made in the early months of 2025 when the US Federal Reserve inaugurated a pilot program for the digital dollar, formally known as the CBDC, or Central Bank Digital Currency. The intangible currency has the potential to completely change the nation's economic infrastructure in profound ways. Digital dollars live on an electronic ledger overseen by the government. Traditional deposits of paper dollars were not so good for instantaneous settlement, came with sometimes hefty transaction fees, and were difficult to protect from theft. CBDC dollars solve all those problems, are amazingly easy to trace, have no transaction-related costs at all, and are nearly fraud-proof. Whenever a community is under banked, the new e-wallets can provide direct and instant stimulus via government benefit programs.
Additionally, larger commercial banks are experimenting with ways to minimize the cost of credit and the dangers of system-wide risk with tokenized lending and various forms of inter-bank settlement. All are made possible by CBDC dollars. However, legislators are currently trying to decide how to protect individual rights while pursuing the dozens of innovative ways the new form of currency can benefit society as a whole. Priorities include strict cybersecurity methods, public acceptance, and offline usage of the intangible money. It will probably take at least 10 years to transform the entire US economy to a CBDC-based balance sheet. What will be the fate of private stablecoins as that happens? No one has an answer, but by 2035, the Federal Reserve will almost certainly possess more powerful tools for dealing with monetary policy than it has now.
AI Upskilling is the Buzzword of the Year
To deter the risk of high unemployment rates, government and industry leaders have set some new priorities. One is related to the upskilling of workers who stand to lose jobs in the face of massive AI breakthroughs that began in the early years of the decade. Alongside the inevitable progress of AI, industrial automation could have a negative impact on an economy that is still struggling with its recent transformation from labor-based to service oriented. The upside is that technology companies have already pledged at least $15 billion to help students and young workers gain skills in the fields of data annotation, machine learning, AI ethics, and similar subjects.
The hope is that the money will pay for a massive upskilling campaign in online schools, vocational institutions, and community colleges. Already, programs are in place to get human workers up to speed with all things AI-related. Dozens of government agencies and private corporations pay for employees to attend certificate programs and educational bootcamps that teach in-depth skills related to AI-based customer support, logistics, manufacturing, and dozens of other niches. In the EU and Asia, companies in multiple industries receive government grants that support wage subsidies to firms that are willing to retrain underemployed and displaced workers.
Solid State Batteries Go Commercial
It was a long time coming, but 2025 was the year in which energy storage technology passed a major milestone: the full-scale production of solid-state electric vehicle batteries. Previously, nearly all automakers who offered electric vehicles, EVs, used lithium-ion cells, an energy source based on liquid electrolytes. Solid-state batteries don't use liquid. Instead, they rely on either polymer or ceramic matrices that have the power to deliver twice as much energy as the old school liquid versions.
Plus, these batteries offer much better thermal stability and almost instant charging. The world's top automakers think this development could quickly lead to affordable cars and light trucks with ranges of 500 miles and short charging times of around 10 minutes. If both those developments come to pass, consumer acceptance rates for EVs could skyrocket as range anxiety becomes a moot topic.
Personal Investing Apps are Hotter Than Ever
Since app based investing has become commonplace, sometime around 2015, the personal finance revolution was afoot. Now, all the top platforms boast a combined user base in excess of 150 million worldwide. Thanks to features like robo-advisors, easy and fast onboarding of new customers, the ability to trade fractional shares, lower minimum balance requirements, and super low transaction fees, 2025 has been another banner year. Never before has investing been such a democratic endeavor for people of all income levels and backgrounds. Cryptocurrencies are the latest asset class to join the already crowded lineup for consumer traders eager to park their money in ETFs (exchange traded funds), stocks, options, futures, bonds, and more.
Even in the face of oversight of over-trading, people are flocking to social network platforms for discussion and education about how to learn the fine art of investing. The bottom line for the global economy is a potential shift of trillions of dollars in assets into the hands of retail, everyday investors and out of the control of institutions. That development alone could reshape the foundation of the global economy in ways that no one could have imagined just a decade ago. Look for a further proliferation of asset types, particularly alternative style offerings like ETFs based on real estate, private funding for startups, and crowdfunding apps related to collectible artworks.