Directo a México® is a service to send money from an account in a financial institution subscribed to the service in the United States to an account in any participant Mexico. In this webpage are the most relevant features of the service. For more information, please visit the website http://www.directoamexico.com/

Background

In 2001, in response to the "Partnership for prosperity" between Mexico and the United States, Banco de México and the Federal Reserve Banks of the United States agreed to study the possibility of interconnecting their payment systems. Interconnection has provided our economies with an efficient mechanism to exchange payments between bank accounts in both countries.

In October 2003, the Federal Reserve Banks of the United States and Banco de México connected their payment systems to send the payments of the United States Government pensioners residing in Mexico.

Subsequently, since February 2, 2004, users of financial institutions in the United States subscribed to Directo a México® can send payments to any bank account in Mexico.

Since July 2005, this payment service was registered under the name Directo a México®.

Features

  • Currently it is possible to send payments from financial institutions in the United States to Mexico.
  • The sender needs to have an account with any financial institution in the United States participating in Directo a México®. Similarly, the beneficiary must have an account with a participating financial institution in SPEI.
  • Payments are originated in dollars and are deposited in Mexican pesos in the accounts of the beneficiaries on the bank business day following that on which they were instructed.
  • The most competitive exchange rate is applied for this type of transfers, which takes as reference the FIX or "interbank exchange rate" that Banco de México determines and publishes on the day the money is deposited in the beneficiary account in Mexico, minus a 0.21% fee. The exchange rate applied in Directo a México®, can be found at http://www.frbservices.org/app/fedachfx/
  • To send money, the originator must provide the following information for the deposit in the account in Mexico:
    • Name of the beneficiary in Mexico.
    • Amount to send in dollars.
    • Beneficiary account, either the Standardized Bank Code or CLABE (18 digits), the debit card number (16 digits) or the 10 digits of the beneficiary's cell phone number, provided that such 10 digits have been associated with his account to receive transfers.
    • Name of the financial institution in Mexico where the beneficiary has the account.
  • The client who sends money from the United States pays a fee for the service. The beneficiary in Mexico does not pay any fee for receiving the payment.

Description of the operations

Day 0 (Origination of payments from the United States)

  • 1. Customers of participating institutions in Directo a México® in the United States instruct payments.
  • 2. Participating institutions in the United States send the payment orders to the Federal Reserve Banks.

Day 1 (Receipt of payments in Mexico)

  • 3. The Federal Reserve Banks send the payment orders and the dollars to Banco de México.
  • 4. Banco de México receives the payment orders and the dollars, and convert them to Mexican pesos through a foreign exchange operator.
  • 5. Banco de México sends the payments in Mexican pesos to the beneficiaries' accounts in the receiving financial institutions in Mexico.
  • 6. Receiving financial institutions in Mexico deposit the payments to the beneficiaries' accounts no later than 14:00 hours.

Advantages and benefits for users

  • Competitive prices. Customers that use Directo a México® pay low.
  • The same fee and exchange rate apply for each transaction regardless of the amount.
  • Transparency. The exchange rate applied to the original amount in dollars is shown in the beneficiary account statement or in the payment receipt.
  • Security. The Federal Reserve Banks and Banco de México administer and regulate the payment infrastructure used in Directo a México®.

Advantages and benefits for financial institutions of offering Directo a México

  • Expansion of financial services. It enables to offer financial services to the ample community of Mexican origin that requires sending money from the United States to Mexico. The service is ideal for periodic payments such as government payments, loans, pensions, and any other payments that can be scheduled.
  • Competitive conditions. Financial institutions pay a fee of USD 0.67 per transaction. Directo a México® does not have a maximum amount limit per transaction.
  • Make use of existing infrastructure. Directo a México® uses the existing infrastructure between the Federal Reserve Banks and Banco de México to transfer mone.
  • Access to the Mexican financial system. Directo a México® enables to send money to any financial institution that participates in SPEI (Interbanking Electronic Payment System), which is the backbone of the payment systems in Mexico.

Comparison with other services

The Federal Agency of Consumer Affairs (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, PROFECO) periodically publishes the fees of several institutions for sending money from the United States to Mexico, the exchange rates applied and the amounts received in Mexican pesos. This information can be consulted at: https://qqed.profeco.gob.mx/

Contact

In Mexico

In the United States

Additional Information