Sheinbaum Meets Bank Leaders to Advance Plan México

President Claudia Sheinbaum met with senior financial sector representatives at the National Palace on Tuesday to advance the integration of the banking system into the government’s flagship Plan México. The meeting focused on translating the national strategy into a “transactional” reality, with an emphasis on digitalization, financial inclusion and private-sector financing for strategic infrastructure projects.

Marcos Ramírez, CEO, Grupo Financiero Banorte, described banks as the “transmission belt” between capital and the development projects that require it. “We talked about Plan México, how we are advancing, how we are going to make it transactional, and what is needed to put it on steroids,” Ramírez said following the session.

The meeting included Victoria Rodríguez, Governor, Mexico’s Central Bank (Banxico); Édgar Amador Zamora, Minister of Finance; and José Antonio Merino, head of the Digital Agency. Leaders from Mexico’s largest financial institutions, including BBVA, Santander, Banamex, HSBC, Inbursa and newly licensed Nu, also participated, alongside Emilio Romano, President, Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM). 

Sustainability and Sovereign Growth

Launched as a three-year national strategy, Plan México targets more than US$86 billion in investment to position the country among the world’s 10 largest economies. While previous administrations have promoted comparable development initiatives, the current plan seeks to differentiate itself through a stronger focus on reinforcing domestic industry, expanding internal markets and strengthening sovereign control over food and energy systems.

Alba Aguilar, Director General, Mexican Council for Sustainable Finance (Consejo Mexicano de Finanzas Sostenibles), said the plan’s success will depend on aligning its industrial ambitions with a credible and coherent sustainability framework. “Consistency between public policy proposals on infrastructure investment and ambition in terms of sustainability is essential,” Aguilar said. She added that long-term investment in the plan’s 12 proposed industrial corridors, electromobility initiatives and energy transition efforts will require close alignment between climate objectives and economic development goals.

Aligning with Global Investment Standards

To mobilize private capital at scale, the government is seeking to align infrastructure projects with international frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals—particularly SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure—and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

Aguilar noted that investor disclosures must extend beyond traditional financial returns. “Ensuring that national and subnational infrastructure strategies are developed and implemented in line with government sustainability commitments is critical,” she said. This includes adherence to Mexico’s Sustainable Taxonomy as well as internationally recognized principles on business and human rights.

A New Model for Economic Transition

The plan envisions a "whole-of-government" approach to economic transition, prioritizing greenfield projects in which sustainability considerations can be embedded from the design stage. The model aims to promote inclusive growth and economic resilience across all 32 states.

The financial sector has pledged to expand credit availability in support of these objectives. As the government prepares to present the plan’s detailed transactional framework in the coming days, coordination among financiers, project developers and local communities will serve as a key test of this sovereign development model. As Aguilar put it, the priority is “to favor sustainable infrastructure over the kind we built in the past.”