{"id":172483,"date":"2026-02-16T15:16:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=172483"},"modified":"2026-02-23T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:52:16","slug":"migrants-financial-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/education-and-humanism\/migrants-financial-inclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrants in Northeastern Mexico Face Barriers to Financial Inclusion, Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In northeastern Mexico, six out of every ten migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees have been turned away when trying to open a bank account, even though Mexican law allows them to do so with official identification<\/strong>. That is one of the key findings of the Financial Literacy Report: Inclusion and Remittances in Northeastern Mexico<\/a><\/em>, a study conducted by researchers at Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees<\/a> (UNHCR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of the study, researchers from the Tec\u2019s School of Business<\/a> and School of Social Sciences and Government<\/a> identified significant gaps in financial inclusion for these communities, particularly when they encountered problems withdrawing cash or sending remittances. In many cases, banks requested additional documentation, forcing migrants to rely on intermediaries to transfer money to their families abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe importance of ensuring that people on the move<\/a> can access financial services lies in the fact that they are beginning to work or to join the economically active population,\u201d explains Kathia Ramos<\/a>, a research professor and director of the Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Finance at the School of Business on the Monterrey campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project took shape during a Tec Research Day, where scholars from different disciplines were reflecting on access to and use of financial tools among vulnerable groups. There, Ramos connected with Andrea Rodr\u00edguez, a researcher and director of the Nansen Clinic for Migration and Refugee Law at the School of Social Sciences and Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clinic operates under the school\u2019s Department of Law. It <\/span>provides legal support to migrants<\/strong>, for example, by assisting with asylum applications through constitutional appeals and by offering representation in litigation related to the right to health care and financial inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying a Structural Problem of Discrimination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the team analyzed the data, they began to detect patterns that pointed to a deeper, structural problem\u2014one that ultimately spurred them to undertake the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIntegration is the final step for an asylum seeker or a refugee to truly become part of a city\u2019s social and economic life. Being able to join the Mexican financial system is the last link in that chain,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez explains. \u201cBut how are they supposed to save money or, eventually, build assets<\/strong> if the Mexican financial system simply doesn\u2019t allow them to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team conducted more than 384 surveys with refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants on the move in the country\u2019s northeastern region, primarily in the Monterrey metropolitan area. The questionnaire was designed by specialists in financial inclusion and migration law, who focused on three main areas: access to bank accounts, savings habits, and the sending and receiving of remittances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surveys were carried out on a voluntary and anonymous basis, with ACNUR providing support in reaching the population and coordinating logistics for data collection. To ensure broader representation in the final assessment, the survey was also translated into other languages, including Haitian Creole<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the findings identified by the team through the surveys are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n