约54%的劳动力处于非正式经济中，强化了与匿名性及减税相关的行为习惯。例如33岁的Roberto Negrete会将工资兑现并放在家里，只在需要Netflix等服务时使用银行账户。央行数据显示，约500比索（约29美元）以上金额的刷卡消费已由六年前的约12%上升到2024年的19%，而移动/电子支付则从0.3%升至7.6%。信任仍然薄弱：仅有十分之六的墨西哥人信任金融机构保护其资金和数据，且仅略高于一半的人认为投诉能得到解决。
尽管体量不小，墨西哥在拉美仍显滞后：仅63%的成年人有银行账户，而巴西则是由其央行于2020年推出的Pix使用率超过90%。传统支付网络与较高摩擦仍在持续，例如在便利店存入现金可能要支付约20比索（约1.15美元）。金融科技和银行正在降低费用并改进数字化服务，部分机构提供8%—15%的利率吸引存款，但只有约四分之一的金融科技机构表示能够触及之前完全未进入体系的人群。政府和监管层将信贷目标从目前约38%提高到2030年的约45%，并通过在加油站下调刷卡手续费来加大向无现金支付转移的压力。
When Uber entered Mexico 13 years ago, few users had or wanted bank cards, so it added a cash option; today more than half of riders still pay by cash. The paradox is nationwide: fintech firms have exploded from under 200 a decade ago to over 800, and electronic payments have grown at double-digit rates, yet government data still show cash in about 85% of small purchases. More than half of debit cards and nearly half of credit cards are unused. Mexico City is more digital, but some southern poorer rural states still see roughly 90% of payments in cash.
About 54% of the workforce is in the informal economy, reinforcing habits tied to anonymity and tax minimization. 33-year-old Roberto Negrete, for example, cashes out wages and keeps money at home, using his account only for services like Netflix. Central-bank data show card use above 500 pesos (about $29) rose from about 12% six years ago to 19% in 2024, while mobile/electronic payments rose from 0.3% to 7.6%. Trust remains weak: only six in ten Mexicans trust institutions to protect money and data, and only slightly more than half think complaints can be resolved.
Mexico lags Latin America despite scale: only 63% of adults have a bank account, versus Brazil’s more than 90% use of Pix, launched in 2020 by its central bank. Legacy rails and higher friction persist; for instance, cash deposits can cost about 20 pesos (about $1.15) at convenience stores. Fintechs and banks are cutting fees and improving digital services, some offering 8%–15% interest, but only about one quarter of fintechs report reaching people previously outside the system. Authorities aim to raise lending to around 45% of GDP by 2030 from about 38% now, and gas-station card-fee cuts signal pressure to shift away from cash.