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OPINION: Community Banks Lead in Small-Business Credit Access: Proposed Legislation Puts That at Risk
By Rajesh P. Narayanan, Ph.D., Louisiana State University The Credit Card Competition Act, sponsored by Senators Durbin and Marshall, aims to inject competition into credit card networks and lower costs for merchants and consumers. The legislation requires issuers with over $100 billion in assets to enable at least two unaffiliated payment networks and gives merchants control over transaction routing. Community banks are explicitly exempt from this threshold. Yet despite thi
5 days ago


THACKER: Data centers in Louisiana are good for consumers
By Meghan Thacker Data Centers are coming and they are here to stay. McKinsey has forecast total capital expenditures of $1.7 trillion on AI data centers by 2030, excluding the IT hardware involved – which makes for a bigger number. Louisiana is well-positioned to take advantage of this new industrial era thanks to the state’s robust industrial and energy infrastructure and pro-growth policies being implemented under the leadership of Governor Landry. In addition to the Me
Jan 17


Embracing Digital Assets: A Call for Common Sense Legislation in Louisiana
Submitted by DK Willard Louisianans are no strangers to hard work. We consistently rank as one of the hardest working states in the country, with many residents working overtime to pay down loans, invest in their first homes, and create financial stability for themselves and their families. Now, digital assets and new financial technologies are becoming integral to everyday investing, providing new tools to help Americans build financial security in ways previously thought t
Dec 18, 2025


OPINION: PBM Reform Can’t Wait
Dear Editor, No matter how strong of a support system someone has, it can’t fix a healthcare structure that seems designed to exhaust people. The biggest frustration I hear, whether it’s from relatives, neighbors, or coworkers, is the constant interference from pharmacy benefit managers. These middlemen companies don’t treat patients or write prescriptions, yet they have enormous power over what medications people can access. In the end, they profit off everyday families,
Dec 2, 2025


Behind the Fed’s Repo Spike: Why Louisiana Businesses Should Pay Attention
By Dr. Rajesh Narayanan, Hermann Moyse Jr./Louisiana Bankers Association Professor of Finance Short-term funding markets sent an unmistakable signal at the end of October: liquidity in the U.S. financial system is tightening in ways that extend well beyond routine quarter-end adjustments. Usage of the Federal Reserve’s Standing Repo Facility surged past $50 billion—the highest since the COVID crisis—at the exact moment the Fed’s Overnight Reverse Repo facility fell to just $2
Nov 17, 2025


OPINION: Broad pharma tariffs could backfire
By Jeffrey Gerrish President Trump keeps proving his critics wrong, especially when it comes to his trade policy. When he announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, investors panicked, and the stock market sold off 20 percent in a matter of weeks. Economists predicted soaring inflation and an imminent recession. Foreign policy analysts scoffed at the president’s pledge to negotiate better deals with trading partners. None of that doom and gloom has come to pass. Stocks
Nov 12, 2025


THACKER: We can’t let the Europeans get in the way of affordable energy
Louisiana’s thriving energy economy is a testament to the state and federal regulatory environments that allow it to flourish, because both balance growth with ensuring that the highest safety and environmental standards are followed to the letter of the law. This balance affords us both residential and industrial electricity rates that are significantly lower than national averages. Yet that is not enough for the European Union, which sought to impose statutes, signed an oce
Nov 11, 2025


Op-Ed: Stablecoin 'rewards' are a risk to financial stability
By Dr. Dr. Rajesh P. Narayanan - Dr. Narayanan is the Louisiana Bankers Association Professor of Finance in the Department of Finance at Louisiana State University. Congress has long recognized that stablecoins should not function as unregulated bank deposits. The intent of the recently enacted GENIUS Act is clear: to prohibit stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield to holders, maintaining a distinction between payment instruments and bank deposits which are not onl
Nov 6, 2025


CHITTOM: Permitting Reform is Key to Unlocking Louisiana’s Energy Dominance Future
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans set out to tackle a broad range of issues at the start of his second administration—from reducing inflation for families to securing the border and cutting crime in communities nationwide. Chief among these priorities is unleashing America’s energy and natural resources and securing American energy dominance. In one of his first executive orders, President Trump cited burdensome regulations that “have impeded the developmen
Oct 15, 2025


LSU LAW PROF: America can lead the Crypto economy, but not If Congress leaves investors behind
By Professor Del Wright Jr. | LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Financial innovation in digital assets is rapidly transforming the American...
Oct 13, 2025


THE HILL: The danger of Louisiana’s attacks on domestic energy production
In a Supreme Court docket stuffed with blockbuster cases, it has been easy to miss the news about a dispute with a puzzling line-up of...
Oct 8, 2025


GREEN: When it comes to carbon capture, the choice is clear: lead, or lose
Louisiana has a proud tradition of leading the way in American energy. Our state has powered the country for generations and now stands...
Oct 2, 2025
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