For small and midsize businesses, the financial picture this fall has two sides. On one hand, banks report that credit to micro, small and midsize businesses (MSMEs) keeps growing and that rates on new loans have come down. On the other, past due loans in the banking system are at their highest level on record. For an SME, both pieces of news point to the same thing: financing and collections must be handled with clear contracts.

What the data say

More access to credit for MSMEs

At its press conference on August 26, 2026, the Mexican Bankers Association (ABM) reported that the share of MSMEs with access to credit reached 28%. Plan México's target for 2030 is to go from 24.6% to 30%. The ABM also noted that the interest rate on new loans to this sector has fallen 100 basis points since the agreement signed in February 2025. As of June, bank credit to companies totaled 4.027 trillion pesos and the system's delinquency rate was 2.5%.

In Nuevo León, Nacional Financiera and Caintra signed an agreement, announced on June 30, 2026, to expand factoring and credit for supply chains through the +PyMEx program, with Banregio as the pilot bank. According to Caintra, more than 20,000 companies could benefit through the program's anchor companies.

Banxico pauses

On September 24, 2026, the Governing Board of the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) unanimously decided to hold the overnight interbank interest rate at 6.50%. Headline inflation rose from 3.10% to 3.42% between the first half of July and the first half of September, and Banxico expects it to converge to its target only by the fourth quarter of 2027. That same month, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its rate by 25 basis points; Banxico clarified that its policy does not have to react mechanically to those moves.

Past due loans at record highs

Using Banxico data, El CEO reported on September 1 that past due bank loans reached 194,565 million pesos in July 2026, a record, with annual growth of 12.84%. They grew about 3.6 times faster than total financing, while performing credit to companies and individuals with business activity rose only 1.3%.

What it means for your company

More available credit is an opportunity. Rising delinquency is a warning: if banks are seeing more defaults, your customers are very likely paying later too. That is why it makes sense to review two fronts at the same time.

1. Your loan agreements

  • Rate and calculation method. If your loan has a variable rate, check which benchmark it adjusts to and how often. Banxico's decisions hit your financing costs directly.
  • Collateral and joint obligors. Identify which assets were pledged as collateral and whether the partners signed as guarantors or joint obligors with their personal assets.
  • Acceleration events. Many agreements allow the bank to demand the entire balance for minor breaches, such as failing to deliver financial statements on time.
  • Factoring. If you assign your invoices, check whether the factoring is with or without recourse and how your customer is notified.

2. Your accounts receivable

  • Document every credit sale. Signed contracts, purchase orders, invoices and delivery receipts are the basis for any collection effort.
  • Use properly completed promissory notes. A promissory note (pagaré) with the amount, maturity date and complete information makes collection through summary commercial proceedings easier.
  • Formalize payment arrangements. When a customer falls behind and proposes to pay in installments, a written debt acknowledgment agreement records the debt and the payment schedule.
  • Act quickly. The more time passes, the harder it is to collect. Set internal policies: when the first reminder goes out, when credit is suspended and when the account moves to formal collection.
In an environment of rising delinquency, the best collection tool is a well drafted document from day one.

What to do now

  1. Run an accounts receivable aging report and flag customers more than 60 days past due.
  2. Check that every significant balance has sufficient documentary support.
  3. For customers who are behind, propose a debt acknowledgment agreement with a payment schedule and promissory notes.
  4. Before taking out a new loan or factoring facility, compare terms and read the acceleration and collateral clauses.
CounselHub recommendation: do not wait for an account to become uncollectible. If a customer has gone more than 60 days without paying, immediately formalize a debt acknowledgment with promissory notes and a realistic schedule. That document turns a disputed invoice into a clear debt and puts you in a stronger position if you later need to pursue commercial collection.