Mexico’s central bank, Banco de México (Banxico), released new regulations on June 18, 2026, aimed at making electronic transactions smoother and expanding access for small businesses. The measures introduce a new type of simplified deposit account and raise transaction limits, with the goal of reducing the country’s longstanding dependence on cash.
Mexico continues to rank among the world’s heaviest users of physical currency for everyday transactions.
Despite the availability of instant payment systems, many small merchants and micro-enterprises have remained outside the formal digital ecosystem due to complex onboarding requirements and restrictive account caps. The latest rules seek to address these barriers directly.
At the core of the update is the creation of Cuenta Nivel 3 Bis, a new account category designed specifically for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
This tier is intended to bring an estimated four million small merchants into the digital payments fold by easing identification processes and raising practical limits on activity.
Under the new framework, the maximum cash deposit allowed into these accounts rises to 3,000 UDIS (Unidades de Inversión), an inflation-adjusted unit of account.
Electronic transfer limits are also increased substantially, reaching between 12,000 and 15,000 UDIS depending on the specific parameters.
These higher thresholds are expected to allow small businesses to process customer payments electronically throughout the month without quickly exhausting their capacity.
The regulations were developed in close coordination with the Asociación de Bancos de México (ABM), the main banking industry association.
Officials view the changes as a practical step toward greater financial inclusion.
By enabling more transactions to flow through formal channels, the rules should generate verifiable transaction records that can help merchants build credit histories and qualify for loans previously out of reach.
This marks the first significant overhaul of electronic transfer standards in more than a decade, since the last major update in 2013.
The framework builds on existing infrastructure such as the SPEI real-time interbank transfer system and consumer-facing tools like CoDi and its successor DiMo.
However, earlier limits and compliance hurdles had limited adoption among smaller operators who often defaulted to cash for simplicity and speed.
By raising deposit and transfer ceilings while streamlining account options, Banxico aims to make digital payments the easier and more attractive choice for everyday commerce.
The move aligns with broader efforts across emerging markets to modernize payment rails, improve transparency, and shrink the informal economy.
Industry professionals now expect banks to begin rolling out the new account tier in the coming months.
For small businesses currently operating largely in cash, the changes could reduce handling risks, speed up reconciliation, and open doors to additional financial services.
For the wider economy, increased digital activity should improve data availability for policymakers and support more efficient monetary operations.
While the immediate focus remains on small merchants, the simplified structure may eventually benefit a wider range of users seeking lighter regulatory requirements without sacrificing security. As first reported by Bloomberg, the regulations represent a targeted, collaborative effort to modernize Mexico’s payments ecosystem and bring more participants into the formal financial system.
