On April 7, 2026, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins spoke at the BOOM BELT event in Miami. The event was organized by the Texas Stock Exchange and was led by CEO Jim Lee. Alongside him were Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida as well as Citadel Securities’ Jim Esposito.
DisruptionBanking readers know this story well. We’ve covered Texas’s explosive growth for years. What began as a state success story is now a regional realignment challenging Wall Street and Silicon Valley. With the launch of TXSE, alongside Nasdaq Texas and NYSE Texas, the Lone Star State is no longer just attracting companies. It’s building the capital markets infrastructure to serve them.
On April 24, TXSE released its much-anticipated BOOM BELT Economic Report 2026. The Boom Belt comprises 11 states: Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
The report’s conclusion delivers a blunt declaration:
“The next chapter of American capitalism will not be written in legacy jurisdictions – it will be written in the Boom Belt.”
What Was BOOM BELT Miami?
The April 7 gathering brought together business leaders and policymakers around one central thesis: the Boom Belt has become the center of gravity for American capitalism, and the infrastructure of public markets must reflect that new reality.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins captured the spirit:
“The momentum taking place across the Boom Belt reflects a deeply American idea: that competition – among firms; among markets; and yes; among States – is the animating force behind a system that has produced more prosperity than any other in human history.”
The SEC also amplified the event on X:
The BOOM BELT Economic Report 2026
The BOOM BELT Report is a comprehensive, data-rich economic manifesto with a clear disruptive thesis: capital, people, companies, and infrastructure have been voting with their feet for over a decade. The shift is structural, not cyclical, and public markets need to follow.
Key highlights that make the report difficult to ignore:
Economic Scale That Rivals Nations
- $8.9 trillion annualized GDP — 29.1% of the entire U.S. total.
- Larger than every country except the full United States and China.
- Largest GDP-contributing U.S. quadrant continuously since 2005, with a recent 5-year CAGR of 8.9%.
People and Jobs Magnet
- 68.9% of all U.S. population growth (2020–2025) and 56.7% of net new jobs.
- Lowest unemployment rate (4.0%) for 47 consecutive months.
- Absorbing nearly 700 net new households per day from the rest of the country.
Corporate and Capital Realignment
- Home to 126 Fortune 500 headquarters (highest revenue and employment share).
- More than 200 corporate relocations since 2018.
- Major reincorporations: Tesla, SpaceX, Coinbase, and ExxonMobil (board recommended Texas move in May 2026).
- Leads the nation in PE-backed companies (6,541) and PE deal activity.
Trade, Infrastructure, and Reshoring Dominance
- ~39% of U.S. goods exports (would rank as the world’s 5th-largest exporter standalone).
- Energy powerhouse (lowest electricity costs, massive generation) powering AI/data centers.
- Leading FDI destination (53% of U.S. total in 2024); primary beneficiary of the “largest industrial reinvestment cycle in modern U.S. history” (semiconductors, autos, etc.).
- Dominant in data centers, spaceports, and logistics gateways.
Notable examples include: Samsung’s $41 billion semiconductor campus in Texas, Eli Lilly’s $6.5 billion pharmaceutical facility in Houston, Hyundai’s $2.5+ billion Metaplant in Georgia, BMW’s $14.8 billion expansion in South Carolina, and Woodside Energy’s $17.5 billion LNG project in Louisiana.
Policy as the Secret Sauce
The report repeatedly credits pro-growth policy choices, low and predictable taxes, tort reform, business courts, and reduced litigation risk, as the real driver. Texas’s constitutional ban on financial transaction taxes on exchanges is highlighted as a key advantage.
One of the report’s strongest lines:
“Capital and people are the most reliable signals in any economy — and for more than a decade, both have been moving in the same direction.”
Why TXSE Matters
As the only primary corporate and ETP listings venue headquartered in the Boom Belt, the Texas Stock Exchange is not just riding this wave. It is built for it. TXSE positions itself as both a product and a catalyst of the regional shift, offering issuers a more issuer-friendly, transparent, and geographically aligned alternative to the legacy duopoly.
In a capital market environment increasingly defined by where companies are headquartered, where talent is moving, and where capital is being deployed, TXSE’s timing looks prescient. If the Boom Belt truly is the new center of gravity for American capitalism, then the infrastructure of public markets must follow.
The next chapter is already being written. The only question is which exchange, and which region, will help write it most effectively.
Find Out More at TexCap in Dallas
TexCap 2026, taking place on May 20 in Dallas, brings together a select group of investors, operators, and leaders for a clear, forward-looking conversation on capital formation and market evolution. Built for substance over noise, this is where perspective and opportunity meet. Last year the event included speakers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the TXSE, NYSE Texas, and Nasdaq Texas.
In partnership with the Texas Blockchain Council, TexCap unites capital markets insight with industry leadership as public market activity accelerates. Hosted at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University, the conference is built for substantive dialogue, strategic alignment and real deal flow.
For ticket details, click here.
Author: Andy Samu
See Also:
Texas House at SXSW Reminds Attendees of Y’all Street | Disruption Banking
TexCap 2026: Dallas Set to Cement Texas as the New Capital Markets Powerhouse | Disruption Banking
Can the Texas Stock Exchange Disrupt Capital Markets? | Disruption Banking
