Mexico Expands Financial Access for Refugees Through FINABIEN

Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior, through the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), signed an agreement with Financiera para el Bienestar (FINABIEN) to expand financial access for asylum seekers, refugees, and beneficiaries of complementary protection.

The agreement establishes mechanisms for financial inclusion, institutional guidance, and programs aimed at promoting self-sufficiency and economic integration for individuals with international protection needs.

Rocío Mejía Flores, general director, FINABIEN, said the collaboration reflects the government’s commitment to uphold human rights in migration policy. “These universal principles of human rights and freedoms also apply to people in forced migration contexts, asylum seekers, refugees and beneficiaries of protection,” she said.

The partnership includes a monitoring framework with designated liaisons, operating under standards of transparency, confidentiality, and respect for human rights. FINABIEN will provide secure, low-cost financial tools, including remittance services, savings, investment, and socially focused loans.

FINABIEN currently facilitates remittance payments through 1,700 branches nationwide, in partnership with 40 U.S. remittance companies, as well as through its digital app. By the end of 2024, the institution processed nearly US$2 billion (MX$36.6 billion) in annual remittances, alongside other financial services.

Xadeni Méndez Márquez, general coordinator, COMAR, said the agreement underscores that refugee integration requires collective action, firm public policies, and long-term strategies. “Only through this shared effort can we ensure conditions that allow each story of forced migration to become one of inclusion, dignity, and hope,” she said.