Politics · Mexico · 4 hrs ago
Ebrard urges small businesses to adopt digital payments
Mexico’s Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said small businesses need to accept digital payments to keep serving customers who use cards and other electronic methods.
He said the government had brought digital payments to one million small businesses over the past year and aims to reach another million this year.
His comments come after Congress approved a law intended to expand digital payments and make it easier to arrange financial services remotely.
The law also allows the Finance Ministry to identify sectors where digital payments could become the only option, with conditions and transition periods.
It does not call for cash to be abolished immediately or everywhere.
Small-business owners have raised concerns about equipment costs and reduced use of cash, while Ebrard said banks should make payment terminals available.
He did not explain who would pay for equipment, internet access or card fees, and the government has also pointed to CoDi, which lets businesses receive payments by phone without fees.
Marcelo Ebrard urged small businesses to accept digital payments, warning that businesses relying only on cash risk losing sales.
He said the government’s strategy aims to help small businesses reach customers who use cards and other digital payment methods.
Ebrard said one million small businesses were brought into digital payments during the previous year, with another million targeted this year.
He said banks should make payment terminals available to small businesses, but did not specify who would pay related costs or fees.
The recently approved digital payments law expands the use of electronic payments but does not immediately eliminate cash nationwide.
- Who
- Marcelo Ebrard, a government official, urged small businesses to adopt digital payments.
- What
- He argued that accepting digital payments can help businesses retain sales and reach more customers.
- When
- He made the remarks in an article published on October 28, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- He said businesses that accept only cash risk missing sales to customers who use digital payments.
Small-business concerns
Marcelo Ebrard
Equipment and costs
Small-business concerns
Small businesses were concerned about having to acquire equipment and about the costs of contracting, connectivity and card-payment commissions.
Marcelo Ebrard
Ebrard said banks should provide terminals, but did not specify the conditions or who would cover the costs and fees.
Use of cash
Small-business concerns
Small businesses were concerned about a possible decline in cash use.
Marcelo Ebrard
Ebrard argued that digital payments would not harm merchants and would help them serve customers using cards and other digital methods.
The Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications said CoDi allows businesses to collect payments by mobile phone without commissions and receive money immediately.
The Senate approved the digital payments law and sent it to the executive branch for constitutional procedures.
Ebrard urged small businesses to adopt digital payments and said another million very small businesses were targeted for digitization that year.
- Previous-year digitization
- 1 million small businesses
- Target for the year
- Another 1 million very small businesses
- Senate approval
- October 20, 2026
- CoDi
- Mobile-phone payments with no commissions and immediate receipt of money
- Government strategy
- Aims to help businesses serve customers using cards and other digital methods
What people are saying
I don’t think that would do any harm; on the contrary. Look, the banks have to give you a terminal, whether you sell gorditas or tortas or whatever.
So we have reached one million, and this year we have the goal of another million very small businesses.