Mexico’s infrastructure plan puts mixed finance at the centre

Mexico is presenting a large infrastructure programme that combines public resources with private capital, with Banobras positioned as the government’s financial and structuring partner. Jorge Mendoza Sánchez, the bank’s director general, said the approach is intended to improve the country’s competitiveness for investment in strategic sectors.

A national plan with private participation

Speaking at the Milken Institute’s Infrastructure and Energy Investment Playbook panel in Mexico City, Jorge Mendoza Sánchez said Mexico had become more competitive for investment, particularly in infrastructure. He linked that assessment to a new administration, a new infrastructure plan and new legislation, which he said created better conditions and more opportunities for private companies and domestic and international investors. The Plan for Investment in Infrastructure for Development with Wellbeing contemplates investment of up to 5.6 trillion pesos during the 2024–30 administration. The government’s stated approach is to retain direction over strategic projects while using private participation in both implementation and financing.

How the mixed-investment model works

The model promoted by Banobras combines public and private resources rather than relying exclusively on the government budget. Private capital is expected to complement public funding and expand the capacity to invest in sectors including energy, transport, logistics, water and industrial infrastructure. The structure is intended to create opportunities for institutional investors, investment funds, Afores and commercial banks, supported by specialised investment vehicles and financing arrangements. In procurement terms, this means the public side continues to set the direction for strategic projects, while private participants contribute capital and may take part in construction, maintenance, operation or financing, depending on the project structure.

Banobras offers more than lending

Banobras’s role extends beyond providing finance. The development bank brings technical and financial expertise, project-structuring capacity and mechanisms for distributing risk, all of which can affect whether an infrastructure scheme is capable of attracting debt and equity. The bank has experience with private-participation arrangements for the construction, maintenance and operation of motorways, and is now promoting a broader mixed-investment model. For bidders and financiers, the transferable point is that a public sponsor may use a development bank to shape the commercial structure, allocate risks and improve project bankability before private capital is committed.

Coordination and project viability remain central

Mendoza also highlighted coordination at the highest institutional level. President Claudia Sheinbaum chairs an investment-planning committee overseeing a project portfolio worth more than 300 billion dollars, with approximately half already in execution, according to the Banobras director general. He said the president’s direct involvement could speed decisions and improve coordination between government bodies. The remaining challenge is to turn the investment opportunities into financially viable projects with clear rules, balanced risk allocation and conditions capable of attracting national and international capital. The scale of the programme therefore depends not only on announced funding, but also on structures that investors can assess and finance.

Reported from eleconomista.com.mx, 2026-10-29. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.