MEXICO · ECONOMY
Key Facts
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- What is happening Mexico finished a global anti-money-laundering review by the FATF, a Paris-based watchdog, and Hacienda, its finance ministry, says it ended 30 October.
- Why it matters The grade can change how foreign banks and companies, including US ones, treat Mexican partners.
- The numbers In the FATF’s 2023 follow-up, Mexico was compliant on 10 of 40 recommendations and largely compliant on 24.
- Who is who Hacienda’s Financial Intelligence Unit coordinated Mexico’s side. The 2026 ratings are secret, and no outcome has been published.
- What to watch Publication of the report, reportedly due in December, which would reveal the ratings and any deadlines.
- What it means for you Nothing changes today for travellers or US account holders. Banks and cross-border businesses may face more checks.
Mexico has completed a global review of how it fights money laundering. The grade is expected to become public in December.
Mexico has finished a fresh international review of how it fights money laundering, and the grade is still secret. Hacienda, the finance ministry, says the plenary work of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ended on Friday, 30 October.
The FATF is a Paris-based intergovernmental body that sets global rules against money laundering and terrorism financing. Its reviews influence how foreign banks and regulators judge a country’s financial system.
What Mexico Completed
The review is called a mutual evaluation and has two parts. Technical compliance asks whether laws and institutions exist, and effectiveness asks whether they produce results.
Hacienda’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), which tracks suspicious money flows, coordinated Mexico’s side. It worked with the central bank Banco de México, the banking regulator CNBV, and the federal prosecutors’ office FGR.
The National Guard, the defence ministry, the foreign ministry, the federal audit office and the intelligence centre also took part. Hacienda says private-sector representatives joined them.
A FATF assessment team visited Mexico in March 2026 to test the system on the ground. Hacienda says its delegation presented an international strategy, answered questions from other delegations and sought support from FATF members.
Where Mexico Stood Before
The FATF’s own country page puts Mexico in an enhanced follow-up process after its last full evaluation in 2018. Its latest follow-up report, dated 6 June 2023, re-rated two recommendations.
By that report Mexico was compliant on 10 of the FATF’s 40 recommendations and largely compliant on 24. It was partly compliant on 5 and non-compliant on one, a rule on other measures for non-financial businesses and professions.
The 2018 evaluation also graded results across 11 effectiveness outcomes. Four were rated substantial, four moderate and three low, the FATF page shows.
What Is at Stake
Mexican reports say the FATF plans to publish the outcomes in December 2026, after a global quality and consistency review. The United States’ own evaluation report was also on the plenary agenda, they add.
Some Mexican analysts expect a tough grade and point to gaps in investigations, convictions and asset recovery. Sandro García Rojas Castillo, a lawyer and former banking-regulator official, says Mexico needs results that can be measured.
Another analyst, Ramón Cabrera León of the consultancy Spetsen, warns that tighter financial restrictions could follow if Mexico ignores FATF requests. Neither analyst speaks for the FATF or for the Mexican government.
The FATF grey list names countries under increased monitoring, and some analysts see a poor grade as a risk of listing. That is opinion, and the FATF has announced no decision on Mexico.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the grade matters most to banks, remittance firms and companies with Mexican suppliers or customers. A weak result could bring more document checks and higher compliance costs for cross-border business.
Nothing changes today for travellers, tourists or US account holders. No new rule has been announced.
Related reading: Mexico and the United States, Relations Explained and an earlier look at Mexican banking and money laundering. More is in Mexico explained and on the Mexico hub.
What Is Not Known
The ratings and the weaknesses the evaluators found have not been published, and Hacienda has disclosed neither. The FATF’s own notice on timing could not be checked, and the 17 December date in one Mexican report is unconfirmed.
It is not confirmed whether Mexico will face a follow-up process or a listing, and no decision has been announced. Hacienda’s account is the only description of how Mexico’s case was argued before other delegations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FATF evaluation of Mexico?
It is a global peer review of Mexico’s laws and results against money laundering and terrorism financing. Mexico completed the process on 30 October, but the grade is not public.
When will Mexico learn its rating?
Mexican reports say the FATF plans to publish in December 2026. One report cites 17 December, which is unconfirmed.
Could Mexico land on the FATF grey list?
Some Mexican analysts see that risk if the grade is poor, but that is opinion. The FATF has announced no decision on Mexico.
Does this affect US banks and customers?
Not today. A weak grade could bring more checks and costs for cross-border business, but no change has been announced.
Sources: Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Mexico country page: 2018 mutual evaluation and 2023 follow-up ratings; Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP), communiqués on the FATF mutual evaluation, 20 and 30 October 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief