AUG. 31, 2026 – The G20 meetings are being held in Asheville. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) —As world finance leaders wrap up high-level economic talks in Asheville on Tuesday, a local financial expert said the discussions happening inside the Omni Grove Park Inn could have consequences that reach far beyond the meeting rooms.
Local financial expert connects G20 talks to interest rates hitting wallets close to home. (WLOS)
While much of the G20 Finance Track has focused on global issues impacting economic policies, Asheville financial advisor Ruth Hays said one topic stands out for many of her clients and for people living in Western North Carolina: Interest rates.
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“If we are able to reduce interest rates, mortgages cost less for the average consumer. That really makes a difference for the everyday individual,” said Hays, a financial advisor with ACT Advisors Wealth Management in Asheville.
The meetings, which have brought international finance leaders to Asheville over the past several days, come as the region continues recovering from Helene. Hays said borrowing costs can have an outsized effect on communities still rebuilding.
Lower interest rates can make it less expensive for families to purchase homes, finance repairs or take on other major expenses, she said. For businesses, borrowing costs can influence decisions about expansion and investments.
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“Whatever they are able to do up there to kind of bring down those interest rates for all of us will impact us on a very community level,” Hays said. “And that’s whether that is housing, whether that is an auto loan, or on a broader level when we’re talking about job growth and just the expanding economy.”
Tuesday’s G20 agenda included discussions on sovereign debt, global economic imbalances and financial literacy. Federal officials have said the goal of the meetings is to strengthen the global economy through international cooperation on economic growth, trade and investment.
The day will conclude with an afternoon press conference.
