Business News

Governor Jeff Landry stood at England Airpark on Tuesday and made an announcement that Central Louisiana's economic development community has been waiting years to hear. Applied Digital Corporation — a Dallas-based company that designs, builds, and operates data centers for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing — will develop Delta Forge 1, a $3.6 billion AI factory campus in Rapides Parish. It is the largest economic development project in the region's moder

Louisiana's tax reform story over the last two years is one worth telling. The 2024 special session produced genuine, structural change: a flat 3% individual income tax, a reduced corporate rate of 5.5%, the elimination of the corporate franchise tax, and permanent full expensing — making Louisiana one of only three states in the country to fully decouple from federal phasedown rules on business investment. The Tax Foundation took notice. Louisiana jumped six spots in its Sta

By Sean Corkery One of the first things I did when I turned 18 was open a brokerage account and buy my first stock. The rules were clear, the broker had to be registered with FINRA, material risks had to be disclosed in the prospectus, and fraud carried real legal consequences. These aren't bureaucratic hurdles, they are the bedrock of a system that made American capital markets the deepest and most trusted in the world. Now Congress is considering legislation that would exem

Louisiana’s economic challenges are well known in the business community: slow population growth, inconsistent job creation, and difficulty attracting outside investment compared to neighboring Southern states. While recent tax reforms have improved the state’s standing, they have not yet addressed the core issue shaping long-term competitiveness—how Louisiana taxes income. For business leaders and site selectors, tax structure is not just a line item. It is a signal. It refl

Thanks to the more than $300 million services contract to Green Tug Towing , a joint venture of Harbor Docking & Towing and Saltchuk Marine , for the design and construction of four new tugs to be built at C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chase and delivered to Louisiana LNG in 2028, Woodside and its contractors have now committed more than $1 billion to Louisiana suppliers for the foundational development of this LNG project. Jeff Landry , Louisiana Governor, highlight

For most Louisianans, the debate happening in Washington over cryptocurrency regulation can feel distant. But the outcome will have very real consequences — especially for the community banks that power local economies across the state. As Congress works toward advancing the CLARITY Act, one of the most important provisions taking shape is a bank-friendly approach to stablecoin regulation. That matters more than it might seem. Stablecoins are often described as digital dollar

A revealing moment during the Louisiana House Commerce Committee’s March 18 hearing made one thing unmistakably clear: political opposition to carbon capture is no longer a theoretical debate—it is costing Louisiana real projects, real jobs, and real investment. And in Beauregard Parish, that cost has already been paid. Testifying on House Bill 670, Louisiana Economic Development’s Chief Business Development Officer Paige Carter delivered a striking example. A confidential co

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