Summary: Mexico’s federal government is accelerating industrial investment through a new fast-track approval mechanism that authorizes strategic projects within 30 days, while NAFIN has secured MX$10 billion in financing to support the priorities of Plan México. The measures are designed to reduce regulatory bottlenecks, expand access to capital, and strengthen nearshoring-driven growth across sectors including automotive, semiconductors, aerospace, energy, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing. Together, these initiatives reinforce Mexico’s competitiveness as a North American manufacturing hub by combining streamlined permitting, digitalization and development financing for large projects and MSMEs.
Mexico’s federal government has launched a new mechanism designed to authorize strategic investments in no more than 30 days, while the country’s national development bank, NAFIN, secured MX$10 billion (US$572.77 million) in fresh financing to support the priorities of Plan México, reinforcing the administration’s efforts to accelerate industrial development, nearshoring and economic growth.
The new investment framework, announced by Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Ximena Escobedo, establishes a Presidential Office for Investment Promotion that will oversee strategic projects and streamline administrative procedures. The initiative is part of a decree on “immediate actions for investment” signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum last month.
According to Escobedo, the office will provide direct support to companies and coordinate approvals across government agencies to significantly reduce processing times.
“It will work to accelerate investment procedures within a period of no more than 30 days and advise and accompany companies throughout the process to make the resolution of their procedures much more efficient and faster,” she said.The announcement comes as Mexico seeks to capitalize on growing nearshoring opportunities and strengthen domestic industrial capacity through Plan México, a national strategy focused on boosting investment, infrastructure, and regional development.
Strategic Projects Receive Priority
The fast-track mechanism will be available to projects located in welfare development hubs, the Interoceanic Corridor development zones and projects promoted by the Ministry of Economy. It will also apply to investments of MX$2 billion or more and projects linked to strategic sectors identified under Plan México.
These sectors include energy, infrastructure, technology, chemicals, electronics, textiles, semiconductors, aerospace, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and automotive manufacturing.
The government expects the streamlined approval process to reduce administrative bottlenecks that have traditionally delayed major investments, allowing projects to begin operations more quickly and generate economic benefits sooner.
Project selection will be overseen by a committee led by the Ministry of Economy and supported by federal agencies including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Environment and the Regional Economic Development and Relocation Advisory Council (CADERR), which was formally established on May 28.
Officials said projects that do not qualify for the special fast-track window but remain part of the federal government’s investment portfolio could still receive approvals in fewer than 90 days once all legal requirements have been met.
Reducing Bureaucracy to Accelerate Growth
The creation of the Presidential Office for Investment Promotion reflects the administration’s broader effort to simplify government procedures and improve the country’s investment climate.
Escobedo said the measure is intended to lower costs, reduce waiting times and accelerate job creation while increasing value-added activity throughout the economy.
President Sheinbaum indicated that the initiative will gradually expand to include medium-sized companies, extending the benefits of faster approvals beyond large-scale projects.
“It will gradually be reduced. The objective is to eliminate any corruption that may occur in some areas, ensure everything is digital and make the resolution of all procedures very fast so companies can begin their investments,” Sheinbaum said.
The digitization of permitting and approval processes has become a key pillar of the government’s strategy to improve competitiveness and attract new investment, particularly as multinational manufacturers continue to evaluate Mexico as a destination for production and supply chain relocation.
NAFIN Strengthens Financing Capacity
Supporting those investment ambitions, Nacional Financiera (NAFIN) completed a MX$10 billion bond issuance in the domestic market to finance strategic national development initiatives aligned with Plan México.
The three-year debt offering, structured with a floating interest rate, is intended to strengthen domestic productive capacity, deepen integration across value chains and support employment generation in priority economic regions, reported MBN.
Investor demand reached 1.4 times the original target amount of MX$7.5 billion, enabling NAFIN to increase the final size of the transaction. The bonds were priced at a spread of 23 basis points above the benchmark rate and received the highest national credit rating, AAA, from major rating agencies.
Domestic institutional investors, including pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies and bank treasuries, were among the primary participants in the transaction. Banorte, Scotiabank, Invex Casa de Bolsa, and Santander Casa de Bolsa served as lead bookrunners.
Financing MSMEs and Industrial Development
The proceeds from the bond issuance will be used to expand financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), strengthen strategic supply chains, and support industrial development, infrastructure and innovation projects.
The additional capital is expected to help meet growing demand for financing as Mexico continues to attract manufacturing investment and benefit from nearshoring trends. The transaction follows a recent partnership between NAFIN and Banco Santander México that launched US$13 million in financing to improve energy efficiency among MSMEs, reported MBN.
According to NAFIN, the issuance forms part of a broader funding strategy aimed at diversifying financing sources and increasing support for productive sectors across the country.
“This operation represents NAFIN’s second issuance so far this year and is part of an institutional strategy aimed at diversifying funding sources, maintaining an active presence in the local debt market and expanding its capacity to support the country’s strategic productive sectors,” the development bank said in a statement.
Together, the new fast-track investment mechanism and NAFIN’s financing initiative highlight the federal government’s effort to combine regulatory efficiency with access to capital, creating conditions to accelerate industrial investment and strengthen Mexico’s position as a leading manufacturing destination in North America.