MEXICO

On March 11, events of relevance to your sector have taken place. Below you will find more information about them:

• The Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP in Spanish) issued, through the Official Gazette of the Federation, the decree regulating the legal and administrative procedure in which the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF in Spanish) may block accounts suspected of money laundering. The regulation establishes that the users included in the list of blocked persons will have 5 working days as from the day following the day of notification by the UIF of their inclusion in such list, for the exercise of the guarantee of hearing so that the interested party may show evidence and formulate arguments in their favor. The text is already in force.

• The National Commission of the Retirement Savings System (CONSAR in Spanish), through the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement (CONAMER in Spanish), opened a public consultation to modify the General Provisions on financial matters of the Retirement Savings Systems. The draft bill establishes that in the case of Mutual Funds with active strategies that have shares of Mexican companies as underlying assets, the Investment Committees may authorize participation percentages higher than 35% of net assets. The text will remain under consultation for at least March 31 approximately and interested parties may send their comments through the following link. 

• The SHCP informed that it will sign an agreement for the installation of the Interinstitutional Committee for Gender Equality in Financial Institutions (CIIGEF in Spanish). The purpose of this agreement is to promote financial inclusion by promoting equal access between men and women to financial products and services. This agreement will be signed on March 18.