Mexico's lower house passes digital payments law, 327 votes to 122

Mexico's lower house passes digital payments law, 327 votes to 122

6 October 2026: Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has approved the Ley de Economia Digital para Pagos Digitales y Electronicos, 327 votes to 122 with no abstentions. Morena, PVEM and PT voted in favour; PAN, PRI and Movimiento Ciudadano voted against. All 92 amendments proposed on the floor were rejected, so the text goes to the Senate unchanged.

Not yet independently verified. The Chamber of Deputies' own site could not be reached, so the text and vote counts come from press reports of its communication. One outlet gives 127 votes against; two give 122. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

President Claudia Sheinbaum sent the initiative on 8 September as part of the 2027 economic package, with the stated aim of promoting electronic payment methods and reducing the use of cash. The law has 22 articles. Its main provisions, as reported:

• businesses and public authorities must enable the infrastructure to accept digital and electronic payments, and every level of government must accept digital payment for public services
• the Treasury (Secretaria de Hacienda) may designate strategic sectors where digital payment is the only form accepted; toll booths and petrol stations were the examples reported
• QR codes, NFC devices, transfer orders and debit and credit cards are recognised as valid payment methods, with cash or cheque allowed during contingencies that disrupt digital payments
• the digital CURP is accepted as a trust mechanism for contracting financial services, and an Expediente Digital Ciudadano is created for consulting citizen documents

The opposition focused on discretion. PAN deputy Ricardo Nino de Rivera objected that the Treasury would decide the digital-only sectors without defined criteria. PRI deputy Christian Castro Bello said the bill lacks mechanisms for accessible, inclusive implementation and does not adequately address personal data protection.

The same session also passed reforms to the Ley Aduanera, 334 to 119 in the general vote, and a cadastral and property registry law, 324 to 107. Reports of the vote give no date for the Senate to take up the payments law and no date for it to take effect.

Sources

• Linea Politica: Diputados aprueban las leyes sobre economia digital y fortalecimiento catastral, y reformas a la Ley Aduanera (reproducing the Chamber's communication), 6 October 2026
• El Universal: Diputados aprueban en lo general Ley de Economia Digital, 6 October 2026
• DPL News: Diputados aprueban ley de pagos digitales de Sheinbaum, 7 October 2026