Mexico’s Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV) received a long-term policy grant to conduct a demand-side survey and complete its dataset on financial inclusion. The survey marks the first data collection effort designed to capture Mexicans’ preferences in financial products. Its completion will allow the CNBV and other policymaking agencies to obtain an accurate baseline and better inform the design of new policies and regulations to serve the financial needs of the country’s poor.

According to the CNBV, the main constraint for Mexico to move toward better policymaking for financial inclusion is lack of information.

There is an urgent need to gain a better understanding of the profile of potential users of financial products and services.

Recent studies estimate that between 15% and 25% of the urban population, and as little as 6% of the rural Mexican population, has access to accounts in financial institutions. The discrepancy in access between rural and urban areas also looms large.