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By Rajesh P. Narayanan | Professor of finance, Louisiana State University After months of bipartisan negotiations, Congress continues to debate crypto market structure legislation, though questions remain whether common sense investor protections will be included in a new federal framework for digital assets. These proposals address fundamental questions aimed at providing needed clarity for digital asset markets, including around agency jurisdiction, and trust and confidence

Cohab executive director Jessica Schiele says at least once a month  in their CEO Roundtable group,  a business leader says “I thought only I was dealing with that.” That is rarely the case, she says, and it's one of the ways the CEO program can help. Over the next month, Louisiana Economic Development will take applications for its 2026 CEO program and they are looking for candidates.  Similar to the famous Las Vegas commercial, Schiele says conversations between the CEOs st

President Donald Trump’s push to modernize America’s retirement and savings system reflects a broader and increasingly clear philosophy: long-term economic security comes from early participation, financial literacy, and wider access to the wealth-building tools that have traditionally been limited to institutions and the wealthy. Recent debate over expanding permissible 401(k) investment options, including limited exposure to private equity, private credit, and other alterna

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

By George Caldwell/Daily Signal) – On Thursday, Congress could take a step toward restoring a now old-fashioned way of funding the government while eliminating a spending policy from  President Joe Biden’s administration. The House will consider its final batch of appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026 to fund several federal agencies.  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson,  R-La., on Wednesday said the spending process has been restored to a “committee-led, member-driven app

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

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

Beginning in 2026, most Louisiana businesses will be required to file their tax returns and payments electronically — part of a broader modernization push by the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency. The expanded mandate will apply to nearly all business tax returns, forms, payments, and fees, including sales and use taxes, withholding taxes, oilfield site restoration fees, and S corporation filings. LDR Secretary Jarrod Conigl

Tax incentives remain one of the most debated tools in Louisiana’s economic development strategy. Supporters argue incentives can tip the scales on deals that create jobs and revitalize communities. Critics counter that many programs offer costly benefits with inconsistent returns. In 2023, Louisiana issued more than $500 million in incentive programs, including $150 million for the Quality Jobs Program, $134 million for the Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, and $86 million

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,

Gov. Jeff Landry is turning a moment of political upheaval in America’s largest city into an opportunity for Louisiana. Days after New York City elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor, Landry placed a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal urging businesses to rethink their future in the Big Apple — and to consider Louisiana instead. The headline, printed in bold above the fold, delivered the message with unmistakable clarity: “In Louisiana

Louisiana spends heavily on economic incentives — more than $500 million in 2023 alone — in an effort to attract investment, revive communities, and stay competitive with neighboring states. Whether those incentives deliver real value often depends on a simple question: Do they change business decisions that wouldn’t have happened otherwise? To understand which incentives pass that test, we examined perspectives from economic development leaders, business organizations, poli