Business News

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

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

Louisiana has secured Business Facilities  magazine’s prestigious Platinum Deal of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, a first in the award’s history and a clear signal that the state has entered a new era of national economic competitiveness. In early January 2026, Business Facilities  named Hyundai Steel’s $5.8 billion investment in Ascension Parish as the Platinum Deal of the Year for 2025, recognizing it as the most significant economic development project ann

Business First Bancshares, Inc.  has completed its acquisition of Progressive Bancorp, Inc.  and its subsidiary, Progressive Bank, significantly expanding its presence in North Louisiana and pushing total assets to approximately $8.7 billion. The transaction strengthens Business First’s statewide footprint by adding nine North Louisiana branches and deepening its reach in a region that has become increasingly important to Louisiana’s economic growth. “We love this opportunity

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

Louisiana has secured another major industrial investment with national significance. ElementUSA’s decision to invest $850 million in a rare earth and critical minerals refining facility in St. John Parish marks an important milestone for the state’s economy and its expanding role in strengthening America’s domestic supply chains. The project is expected to create 200 direct jobs with an average annual salary of $90,000, nearly 30 percent above the average wage in St. John Pa

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

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

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

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

On a farm in Gilliam, Louisiana, the final harvest is in. Corn, soybeans, cotton, and peanuts have all been cut and loaded. Now, farmer Stephen Logan  is spreading cereal rye seed and planning for the next growing season. But this fall, the federal shutdown has left him — and many like him — working without a safety net. For weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s local offices have been closed, cutting off access to conservation payments, short-term crop loans, and criti