Q: In your own words, what was the problem you identified that gave rise to PetroShark, and what continues to drive your operations today?

A: The founding problem is at the heart of everything we do. Mexico's tax authority requires all companies in the oil products value chain to comply with volumetric controls under Annex 30 of the Fiscal Code. Within that annex, Section 6 specifies the technical requirements that a software system must meet to manage and report volumetric control data.

PetroShark was built specifically to address that requirement: to create a software solution that meets the standard precisely and reliably. What made the challenge genuinely complex is that many of the companies we work with were already reporting operational data to the CRE and other regulatory bodies in some form. But what SAT requires goes further: it demands that volumetric operational records be cross-referenced and reconciled with fiscal documentation, including invoices, CFDIs, and related instruments. That cross-referencing is where most companies encounter real difficulty.

We assembled a team of specialists to interpret the regulation correctly and translate it into a system that handles that reconciliation accurately, so when data is submitted to SAT, it is received and validated without issue. That remains the foundation of what we do.

Q: The scope of Annex 30 expanded significantly in 2025 and into 2026. What did that expansion mean for PetroShark in terms of demand, state of client readiness, and your own operational capacity?

A: The regulation has technically been in force since Jan. 1, 2022. However, SAT granted a series of extensions, starting with a one-year deferral initially that was subsequently extended. By late 2024, SAT announced that no further delays would be granted. That decision triggered a significant wave of activity in 2025, as companies that had been deferring compliance suddenly had no choice but to act.

Part of what drove the delay was a widespread assumption that Annex 30 compliance would closely resemble what companies were already doing for CRE. When companies began working through it, they discovered that the fiscal reconciliation dimension added a layer of complexity they had not anticipated. The concept itself is straightforward: if you received 10L of gasoline, you cannot sell more than 10L. However, in practice, achieving a clean reconciliation between operational flows and fiscal records requires calibrated equipment, formal measurement management systems, and process discipline throughout each installation. That is a meaningful operational investment, and many companies were genuinely unprepared for it.

For PetroShark, this created a substantial market opportunity. From 2024 onward, we began receiving significant inbound interest, initially from companies trying to understand what compliance actually required, and increasingly from companies needing end-to-end implementation support. That demand has continued through 2025 and into 2026, and we have been focused on scaling our capacity to meet it.

Q: The industry has historically operated with very limited standardization; we have heard from other companies about operational records that do not even use standard units, tracking deliveries by "a truck arrived" rather than by volume. How do you see the path to meaningful standardization evolving, and over what timeline?

A: The pace of standardization will depend almost entirely on how consistently SAT enforces the regulation. The pattern we have observed is instructive: when the norm was first introduced, many companies chose resistance over engagement, waiting rather than preparing. When SAT began calling specific companies to account, requiring written explanations for non-compliance and asking what steps were being taken, those companies moved. That enforcement pressure is what converts inertia into action.

The broader problem is that before volumetric controls existed, there was limited regulatory rigor around hydrocarbon transaction records. With manual readings, minimal automation, and disconnected systems, the environment created conditions in which fuel theft, including organized huachicol operations, was relatively easy to execute. Anyone with access to the supply chain could manipulate volumes without detection. Volumetric controls change that fundamentally, because reconciling operational records with fiscal documentation creates a paper trail that is difficult to falsify.

The consequence of this is that companies which are not in compliance, even those with no fraudulent intent whatsoever, risk being treated as suspicious by government enforcement bodies. Non-compliance and illicit activity look the same from the outside. That is a serious exposure that many legitimate operators have not fully internalized. If SAT were to initiate enforcement actions against all non-compliant entities simultaneously, the effect on the industry would be substantial because a very large number of companies are still not ready. The transition will take time, and the timeline is largely in the government's hands.

Q: Once clients commit to implementation, what are the positive surprises they encounter along the way?

A: Every client has its own operational reality, and that variety is one of the genuinely interesting dimensions of this work. Visiting a storage terminal, understanding the logistics of product transport, seeing the safety protocols in action, these operations are sophisticated and impressive in ways that are not always visible from the outside.

The most gratifying discovery we encounter regularly is the client who is not in compliance, not because their operation is inadequate but because they did not fully understand the process. When we assess their situation, we often find that they have everything they need, the data exists, the systems are there,  but it has not been organized and structured correctly. The message in those cases is straightforward: "You are much closer than you think. We need to consolidate and structure this information, and you will be in a strong position." That moment of relief, when a client realizes the gap is surmountable, is one of the consistent satisfactions of this work.

Q: Beyond compliance, what value does proper data management unlock for clients? What operational benefits emerge from handling this data well?

A: The most significant benefit we have consistently delivered is transparency. Many clients, before working with us, could not confidently answer a basic question: is my operation internally consistent? Do my invoices, my operational movements, and my inventory records tell a coherent story?

When we consolidate all of that information and present clients with a clear, integrated picture of their operational and fiscal data, the response is almost universally one of genuine relief. They can see, often for the first time, where the operation is running efficiently and where there are discrepancies, bottlenecks, or anomalies that need to be addressed. What began as a compliance exercise becomes an operational management tool.

On the data security side, the regulation itself includes explicit requirements around data protection, which we take seriously. We implement multi-layered security mechanisms across our software and databases and conduct annual security audits to ensure we maintain a high standard of protection. Our clients are entrusting us with sensitive operational and fiscal data, and maintaining that trust is non-negotiable.

Q: PetroShark's SharkSuite platform consolidates everything in one place and is built around cloud infrastructure. How do you explain that value proposition to clients who may not be familiar with cloud-based solutions?

A: Most of the clients we engage have spent their careers working with on-premise infrastructure: physical servers in their own facilities, managed internally. When we propose migrating to the cloud, it can initially seem like a significant departure from what they know.

Our explanation focuses on what cloud-native technology actually delivers in practical terms. The capabilities that matter most for this application,, including security, automated backups, scalability, infrastructure reliability, are areas where modern cloud platforms are inherently strong. And critically, the cost model is fundamentally different. There is no need to purchase a MX$500,000 server. You pay for what you use. That means we can offer a robust, secure, high-capability solution at a cost that is genuinely accessible for operations that are not in the technology business and have no reason to be.

An additional benefit that we find resonates strongly is time to market. When we need to update functionality, refine a calculation, or release a new feature in response to a regulatory change, cloud deployment allows us to do so quickly and validate it immediately. In an environment where regulation continues to evolve, that agility matters.

We also recognize that not every client is ready to make that leap. For those who prefer to maintain their data within their own infrastructure, whether for cultural, contractual, or operational reasons, we offer SharkSuite as an on-premise deployment as well. The solution can be hosted in our cloud, in the client's cloud environment, or on their own physical servers. We built that flexibility deliberately, because we understood early on that cloud adoption in this industry involves not just a technical decision but a cultural one.

Q: What are PetroShark's priorities and objectives for 2026?

A: This year is one of consolidation and controlled expansion. Demand has grown meaningfully, and our focus is on scaling our implementation capacity and delivery speed to meet it without compromising quality. We are also deepening our work with existing clients, because volumetric control reporting is not a one-time implementation but an ongoing operational commitment, with both daily and monthly reporting obligations. That creates a continuous and dynamic working relationship that requires real operational responsiveness.

On the product side, we are strengthening SharkSuite's coverage of the full range of operational configurations present in this industry. Storage terminals, transport, retail dispensing, and industrial end-users each have distinct operational characteristics, and ensuring our platform handles all of them with the same precision and reliability is a continuous development priority.

Broadly, 2026 is about being ready for the next phase of growth, in terms of the clients we can serve, the complexity of operations we can support, and the speed at which we can deliver. The market is maturing, the regulatory environment is only becoming more demanding, and we intend to be the most capable partner in it.

Q: The oil and gas industry has historically been resistant to technology adoption. How have you handled clients who push back on the cloud migration specifically?

A: We encounter the full spectrum. Some clients are initially resistant but come around quickly once we walk through the economics and the security architecture. When they understand that the investment they would otherwise make in on-premise infrastructure is not necessary, and that the data is better protected in a well-managed cloud environment than in a server room they maintain themselves, the conversation shifts.

Others have existing infrastructure investments they are committed to, or internal policies that require data to remain on-premise. We do not try to force a migration in those cases. Our flexibility, the ability to deploy in the client's cloud, in a hybrid model, or fully on-premise, was designed precisely because we understood this industry's relationship with technology. Change management here is not only technical; it is cultural.

The dynamic is familiar. When cloud computing first emerged, the financial services sector was among the most resistant: data sovereignty and regulatory concerns drove significant pushback. That resistance has largely been resolved over time as the technology matured and the security case became overwhelming. The hydrocarbon sector is at an earlier stage of that same evolution, and we are actively working to close that gap, one client at a time.

Petroshark is a Mexican technology solutions company focused on the hydrocarbons and oil products industry, with a stated mission of accelerating the digital transformation of businesses while ensuring compliance with regulatory authorities.