The World Bank has been supporting Mexico’s efforts to deepen financial inclusion and expand access to finance, which has been a critical bottleneck for growth and poverty reduction. The World Bank has supported Mexico’s expansion of needed financial access to poor and rural populations, women, youth, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Through an established network of private financial intermediaries (PFIs), for example, the Expanding Rural Finance Project increased the availability of finance to rural MSMEs in areas where commercial banks had not been able to reach local producers. This project helped to establish and/or improve credit, risk, and management capacity of 255 small PFIs located in rural areas. Between 2016-2019, 173,981 credits for productive purposes were extended to 139,253 rural producers and MSMEs (average loan size of $1,850), of which 76% live in rural areas in the poorer states of the South, 83% are women, and 22% live in communities classified as marginalized or highly marginalized by the National Council for Population.