MexMoves

ZONAMACO takes centre stage this week as we interview Zélika García, the founder behind Mexico’s top contemporary art fair, on how it became a global hit. We also speak with consultant Juan Saldívar on selling Mexican consumer brands in the US. And as always, Eduardo and Damian break down Mexico’s top business moves of the week: Sheinbaum’s private meetings with senior bankers and economic officials to push funding for Plan México and deepen credit; Revolut’s headline 15% yield on small deposits; and Banorte’s latest strong results and 2026 outlook. We also discuss how Grupo México became by far Mexico’s most valuable company, and how it’s poised to deploy its massive cash pile to invest more in mining, if permits come through.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

We interview Andrés Pliego on the outlook for Mexico’s water sector and how Rotoplas, where he is CFO, is investing across the region by providing practical, decentralized water solutions. Before the interview, Eduardo and Damian discuss the 2026 outlook for Mexico’s financials, energy, and mining sectors. We look at the impact of fintechs on lending and deposit rates, question Pemex’s ability to raise oil production, and highlight the need for the government to unlock mining investment by accelerating the approval of permits. We also discuss Mexico’s notable absence at Davos 2026. While thousands of the world’s leading CEOs and government figures were present in perhaps the most interesting Davos of all time, Mexico’s top brass was mostly absent.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

This week we interview Odracir Barquera, Head of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA), on the negative impact of US tariffs on Mexico’s automotive industry in 2025 and how the 2026 USMCA review could unfold for what is the most important sector in Mexico’s economy. The review could either cut current tariffs and ease uncertainty in a best-case scenario or worse-case cement the current unfavorable treatment of Mexican auto exports and hurt investment for decades to come. Ahead of that, Eduardo and Damian assess the 2026 outlook across Mexico’s media & telecom, real estate, aviation and airports, and consumer sectors, focusing on how the USMCA, the World Cup, M&A activity, rising real wages and labor costs, and falling interest rates may shape each industry.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

To restart our weekly podcast, Damián and Eduardo speak with Michael Fung, a leading expert in human capital, education, and skills development at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He shares his assessment of how Mexico is performing in these areas—and the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence brings to education and the workforce. Damian and I also discuss the outlook for the Mexican economy in 2026, as well as the late-2025 announcement of a potential merger between Mexico’s two low-cost airlines, VivaAerobus and Volaris. Finally, we review the latest changes in Grupo Televisa's ownership structure.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

For our Christmas special, we interview Carlos Miguel Prieto, renowned Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, about the business and current state of classical music in Mexico. We also speak with Verónica García de León about the smog crisis in Monterrey: what’s driving it, and why it persists. To kick off, Eduardo and I discuss Mexico’s 2025 corporate and market highlights, from Fernando Chico Pardo taking control of Banamex, to the rally in Pemex bonds, IPOs at Aeroméxico, Fibra Next, and Esentia, and a wave of new CEOs at Coppel, Alsea, Walmex, Femsa, Bimbo, and others. Finally: Bread Culture Wars. We reflect on the Green Rhino / Richard Hart controversy, and how intemperate comments on the alleged poor quality of Mexican bread rolls in an obscure 2024 podcast became a social-media firestorm 18 months later, and turned into a proxy for (some of) Mexico’s gentrification and anti-foreign anxieties.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

Jaime Guillen, co-founder and partner at Mexico Infrastructure Partners (MIP), joins us to explain how the firm became the country’s largest infrastructure fund, the strategy behind its landmark Iberdrola acquisition, and where MIP is heading next, from energy and digital infrastructure to industrial real estate and international expansion. For a sector that usually works under the radar, this is a rare look at the decisions shaping Mexico’s power and infrastructure future.

We then turn to Bruce Boren, Partner at THR3 Media and former Televisa executive, producer of HBO’s hit Chespirito biopic. Bruce breaks down how the project came together, why it struck such a nerve, and what the looming Netflix and Paramount battle for Warner Bros. Discovery could mean for content creators in Mexico.

Before the interviews, Eduardo and I run through the week’s business and economic headlines. We look at the impact of the hike on tariffs on imports from non-FTA countries like China, the latest inflation data and what it may signal for Banxico’s next moves. Then we discuss Alsea, which continues to reshape its portfolio, now bringing Raising Cane’s, one of the fastest-growing QSR brands in the U.S., to Mexico. The move pairs with its 2026 Chipotle rollout and follows recent divestments in Chile and Spain.

Finally, we dig into the rising speculation around a potential AT&T México, Televisa and Izzi deal. If it happens, Televisa would take on many of AT&T’s challenges, including high spectrum costs, MVNO pressure and Telcel’s dominance, while gaining the scale of a national mobile operation along with the advantages of its broadband and cable network and the political muscle that comes with still being Mexico’s leading broadcaster.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

MexMoves interviews Salvador Rivero, the new Country Head of Binance Mexico, who lays out what the world’s largest crypto exchange plans to do in the country. We also speak with US-Mexico policy expert Duncan Wood for his take on the USMCA hearings in Washington — what’s at stake and what 2026 US trade outcomes are realistic for Mexico. To kick off Eduardo and Damian as always dig into the main corporate and economic stories of the week. Grupo Bimbo turns 80 and opens its new museum in Mexico City, which leads us to a broader question: why has Mexico produced so few large new companies in recent decades? Many of today’s corporate giants trace their origins to the Porfiriato or the WWII industrial boom — and unlike in USA, Brazil, Argentina, not many newer firms have joined their ranks. Finally, we look at the 13% minimum-wage increase for 2026 and the government’s plan to cut the workweek from 48 to 40 hours by 2030. Great news for workers with formal jobs — but with informality already above 50%, critics warn that steep wage hikes and shorter hours could unintentionally curb formal hiring and push more firms into the gray economy.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

Join us for a deep dive with Banco Azteca Chairman Alejandro Valenzuela on how Azteca really makes its money, why cash still refuses to die, and why a phygital model is the way forward for Mexican banks. Javier Treviño shares leadership lessons from his new book Silos, celos y círculos íntimos and what a more ethical, less “clubby” business culture in Mexico could look like. Eduardo and Damian break down the farmer and trucker highway blockades as corn prices, water rights and insecurity fuel nationwide protests; the details behind Fibra NEXT’s US$400m downsized follow-on; the US$100m wager on American football in Mexico under the NFL’s shadow; and the battle over credit and debit card related interchange-fees between the banks and authorities just as the government unveils the new financial inclusion strategy for 2025-2030.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here

Desteia’s Diego Solórzano explains how real, operator-focused AI tools can ease Mexico–U.S. logistics bottlenecks. Journalist Steve Fisher recounts the unlikely recovery of a gold mine in Sonora that many had written off, detailing the operational, financial, and human factors behind its revival. We discuss Mexico surpassing Canada as America’s top export market for the first time, driven by tighter USMCA rules of origin, China-related tariff pressure, and decades of integrated US/Mexico supply chains. We review Esentia Energy’s IPO, completed but priced below range as investors weighed its exposure to CFE and the shadow of Aeroméxico’s post-IPO weakness. We also cover ASUR’s acquisition of 20 airports across Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Curaçao; Tiendas 3B’s standout quarterly results; and rumors Grupo Salinas is selling Mazatlán FC, potentially opening the door for Atlante’s return to Liga MX.’

We talk with Neri Tollardo, Plata’s co-founder and CEO, to understand how the fintech rocketed from zero to more than two million users and a $3 billion valuation in just over two years. We also explore the pros and cons of Mexico City as a potential home for U.S. sports teams, the stakes behind Esentia’s planned gas-pipeline IPO as Mexico and the U.S. both benefit from the decade-long boom of gas imports Texas to Mexico, and how Kimberly-Clark’s acquisition of Kenvue (Tylenol, Listerine, etc.) could affect its separately listed and managed Mexican business.

Try Whitepaper 30 days free

Buy your Whitepaper merch here