Mexico Supreme Court to limit Afore withdrawals for IMSS retirees as Dominican Republic grapples with costly special p~p

Mexico's Supreme Court (SCJN) is set to discuss a project that would confirm retirees of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) under the contractual regime cannot withdraw the accumulated funds in their Afore accounts in a single lump‑sum payment. The ruling, if approved, would affect thousands of former IMSS workers and could set a precedent for other public‑sector pension schemes.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader has issued a series of decrees granting so‑called “special pensions” or “bottles of eternity” to thousands of individuals, many of whom have not served the state. The number of such pensions rose from 142,165 in 2019 to a projected 260,461 by 2025, with financing needs climbing from just over 17 billion to more than 47 billion pesos. Critics warn the scheme threatens fiscal stability and call for congressional and audit‑court scrutiny.