Mexico's Hacienda tightens anti-money laundering controls

Mexico’s Ministry of Finance (Secretaría de Hacienda) has introduced stricter anti-money laundering controls through new General Rules for the Federal Law for the Prevention and Identification of Operations with Resources of Illicit Origin. Published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, these regulations target individuals and companies engaged in ‘vulnerable activities,’ such as vehicle sales, auctions, gambling, and real estate development.

Under the new mandate, obligated parties must implement automated systems to monitor transactions in real time, detect deviations from transactional profiles, and generate immediate risk alerts. Additionally, mandatory annual audits will be required starting in 2028. The rules also require entities to classify client risk levels as low, medium, or high, and strengthen the identification of beneficial owners and politically exposed persons.

These updates aim to align Mexico with the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following legal reforms passed between 2025 and 2026.