Mexico: Compliance

FinCEN has issued a new alert detailing how Mexican cartels are exploiting U.S. financial institutions to smuggle fuel across the southern border, evade Mexican import taxes, and launder billions in illicit proceeds. The alert outlines red flags for financial institutions and announces new OFAC sanctions targeting key operatives in the fiscal fuel theft scheme.

Mexico's comprehensive anti-money laundering framework has undergone a sweeping transformation through Acuerdo 115/2026, introducing mandatory risk-based methodologies, enhanced client due diligence protocols, and automated monitoring requirements. With implementation deadlines beginning March 1, 2027, obligated parties conducting vulnerable activities face compressed timelines to overhaul their compliance infrastructure while navigating heightened enforcement risks and stricter beneficial ownership thresho

Mexico's National Energy Commission has established a temporary registration program allowing individuals and legal entities currently operating fuel dispensing facilities for self-consumption without proper permits to regularize their operations. The program provides a pathway for non-compliant operators to obtain temporary registration certificates while awaiting the development of permanent regulatory frameworks and permitting requirements.

The USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism has transformed labor relations management in Mexico, where local workplace disputes can escalate into international investigations with commercial and reputational consequences. Companies must now assess whether their Mexican operations are prepared to respond if they become the subject of a USMCA labor investigation, as seemingly minor actions by supervisors or routine employment decisions can trigger cross-border scrutiny.

New Mexico's Environment Department has clarified the scope of its controversial PFAS labeling requirements for consumer products, addressing concerns about which products fall under the January 1, 2027 deadline. The agency's recent guidance specifically defines the boundaries between consumer and industrial products subject to the state's PFAS Protection Act regulations.

Mexico's Ministry of Finance has authorized the National Energy Commission to implement new service fees representing a 3.6% increase over 2025 rates. These updated charges cover 131 different services related to permits for petroleum, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas distribution, transportation, storage, and electricity generation activities.

Corporate compliance in Mexico is often understood through the lens of tax filings and payroll obligations, with their fixed deadlines, automated reminders, and clear consequences for non-compliance.

La Comisión Nacional Antimonopolio de México publicó su Programa Institucional 2026-2030, revelando que los hogares mexicanos pierden el 15.7% de su ingreso debido a la concentración de mercado, con un impacto desproporcionado en familias de menores ingresos que pierden hasta 30.9%. El documento establece objetivos estratégicos, identifica seis mercados prioritarios y define metas cuantificables para fortalecer la competencia económica en el país.

El 3 de abril de 2026, el Director General de la Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE), Juan Carlos Solís Ávila, publicó en el Diario Oficial de la Federación (“DOF”)...