Welcome to ‘Y’all Street’: New stock exchange a big win for Texas

The Lone Star State is on a roll. With its business-friendly environment drawing an ongoing influx of corporate relocations and a wellspring of talent across various industries, Texas has a lot going for it, economically speaking. The arrival of the new Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) in 2026 will be yet another feather in the state’s cap. It’s especially big news for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is becoming a financial markets hub in America.

The TXSE management team—staffed, funded and steered by a long list of financial sector heavyweights—claims the new exchange will benefit issuers and investors in the form of increased competition and innovation. TXSE has said it will focus on attracting companies based in Texas and the Southeast U.S. but will also offer listing opportunities for established enterprises across the country and the globe.

“This is a big win for the state of Texas and the companies that do business there,” said Steve Wyett, chief investment strategist for BOK Financial®. “If nothing else, it’s symbolic of Texas’ rise to power. The state has been working for many years to position itself as a business and financial hub, and this is just further confirmation that they’ve succeeded.”

A crowd attracts a crowd
The groundwork for the TXSE has gradually solidified over the past two decades. The state’s central location, lighter regulations, lower taxes and affordable housing have enticed hundreds of companies to establish a regional presence in Texas, if not relocate their headquarters, bringing with them thousands of transplanted employees and new jobs.

Texas is home to 52 Fortune 500 companies (second only to California) as of 2024, and two of the three fastest-growing metro areas (Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth) in the country.

In March, Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas led all other states for jobs added over the last 12 months. And Dallas has become the state’s financial hub, with giants like Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab and Deloitte continuing to expand in the area.

“Texas’ rapid ascent has had a compounding effect, creating even more opportunities for companies to invest in growth and take advantage of the huge talent pool in this area,” said Grant Leigh, Dallas market CEO for Bank of Texas. “Investors are eager to seize the moment, hence the creation of a new stock exchange in Texas.”

Leigh added that while today’s digital world makes geography less important—stocks and ETFs can be traded from anywhere with an internet connection—basing the new exchange in Dallas is a matter of state pride.

“Texas is making a statement that it has become a national and even global financial powerhouse, and the world is taking notice,” said Leigh.

Healthy competition
Texas may be having its moment in the spotlight, but America’s long-running financial incumbents won’t be relinquishing their dominance anytime soon. In fact, TXSE won’t even be the only stock exchange based in Dallas. In February, the New York Stock Exchange announced it would move its Chicago branch to Dallas, and it quickly began operations on March 31, with the Trump Media and Technology Group as its first listing. Also in March, the Nasdaq stock exchange announced it would open a regional headquarters in Dallas, a move that follows many major tech companies such as Tesla, Oracle and Hewlett Packard planting roots in Texas.

“It’s no coincidence that the NYSE and Nasdaq are also moving here,” said Leigh. “They see all the same signs of growth and prosperity for businesses in Texas, and they see what could be a strong competitor to their exchanges emerging in the TXSE.”

As the Texas economy continues building momentum, most experts agree it’s a good thing for business owners, investors and millions of Texas residents.

“A thriving economy attracts further investment and growth, and that cycle continues as it creates more and more opportunities for companies and the individuals that work for them,” said Wyett.