CCE: Mexico's streamlined investment process has spurred US $3.5B in new business
Mexico's effort to simplify and accelerate investment approvals has generated more than $3.5 billion in authorized projects, signaling early success for government measures introduced in May, according to José Medina Mora Icaza, president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE).
Speaking to reporters Friday after meeting with government liaison Altagracia Gómez and Mexico's U.S. Ambassador Roberto Lazerri, Medina Mora said the investments involve both Mexican and foreign capital across multiple sectors.
"Soon we'll have an announcement because there is already more than $3.5 billion in investments authorized," the CCE president said in Mexico City. The umbrella organization, founded in 1976, represents chambers and associations across all industrial sectors in Mexico.
Faster approvals drive investor confidence
The investment commitments follow a package of measures unveiled May 4 by President Claudia Sheinbaum under the Plan México framework, designed to unlock investment by shortening authorization times and simplifying bureaucratic procedures.
Under the new guidelines, authorities have a maximum of 30 days to approve or deny strategic projects exceeding 2 billion pesos ($117 million) in electronics, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy or technology sectors. For other industries, the deadline is 90 days.
"We are accelerating processes, simplifying mechanisms and strengthening legal certainty, because we know that economic development requires clear rules, mutual trust and shared responsibility," Sheinbaum said when announcing the measures.
Plan México, originally presented January 13, 2025, encompasses 13 goals including a portfolio of $277 billion in national and foreign investments aimed at reducing poverty and inequality. The initiative targets lifting investment above 25% of GDP starting in 2026 and above 28% by 2030, alongside creating 1.5 million jobs in specialized manufacturing and strategic sectors.
Medina Mora praised the efficiency of the federal investment committee, which meets weekly. "The projects we've sent have been approved quickly," he said, noting that Sheinbaum has "given priority" to rapid project approval.
One Plan México goal is reducing the average time between investment announcement and project execution from 2.6 years to one year. Another objective is positioning Mexico as the world's 10th largest economy by 2030, when Sheinbaum's term ends.
Foreign investment reaches record levels
Mexico's appeal to foreign investors appears to be growing. The country climbed from 25th to 19th place in Kearney's 2026 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, marking one of the largest gains globally alongside Singapore.
In the first quarter of 2026, Mexico received foreign direct investment totaling a record $23.6 billion, a 10.4% increase compared to the same period in 2025. However, the bulk of this figure — $22.2 billion — came from reinvested earnings by companies already operating in Mexico, while new investments totaled $1.705 billion, representing a 7.5% increase year-over-year.
The investment momentum occurs as Mexico's manufacturing exports to the United States have surged, rising by $150 billion between 2021 and 2025 to reach $535 billion in 2025. This growth reflects ongoing nearshoring trends, though the USMCA review that formally launched in March 2026 creates both uncertainty and opportunity for continued investment flows.
Economic data shows momentum building after a slow start to the year. Following a sequential contraction in the first quarter, growth rebounded in the second quarter of 2026, Medina Mora noted.
Energy independence and fracking debate
Medina Mora also addressed the government's openness to large-scale fracking, calling it an investment opportunity for the private sector. His comments came one week after a scientific panel tasked with assessing "sustainable fracking" viability essentially approved ongoing evaluations in two northern basins while recommending against the technique in the resource-rich Tampico-Misantla basin.
Mexico currently imports more than 6.5 billion cubic feet per day of pipeline natural gas from the United States, covering roughly 75% of domestic demand. The country has an estimated 141.5 trillion cubic feet of unconventional gas reserves in shale basins, with 20.7 trillion cubic feet (15%) located in the now-restricted Tampico-Misantla basin.
"Fracking technology has advanced and today takes into account environmental protection and remediation in such a way that there are no adverse side effects," Medina Mora said. He argued that access to energy resources obtained through fracking would give Mexico "competitive advantages as a country."
State-owned Pemex's 10-year strategy aims to dramatically increase unconventional gas production from 20 million cubic feet per day in 2026 to 1.159 billion cubic feet per day by 2030 and 3.196 billion cubic feet per day by 2035, potentially reducing dependence on U.S. imports.
While Sheinbaum maintains that fracking can proceed safely with new technologies that minimize water use, no final decision has been made on implementing the extraction technique at scale. The president said August 6 that evaluations continue, though momentum appears to favor moving forward in select basins to boost domestic natural gas production.
