Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (JD Supra Mexico)

CEO Executive Summary: Early April felt almost normal. There was no blowup in U.S.-Mexico relations and the Mexican economy performed well. Then came President Trump’s renewed broadsides, insisting that Mexico will pay for the border wall, referring to NAFTA as a disaster for the United States, and this time threatening to go nuclear—to officially announce the U.S.’s withdrawal from NAFTA. ...

1. What is FinTech? FinTech is the subsector of the financial services industry that employs new technologies not only to more efficiently deliver products and services but also to provide access to these services to underserved populations. FinTech does so by collaborating with traditional financial services, yet it also acts as a positive disrupting force by creating new competition and...

Today’s global content market is constantly evolving. The rise of digital platforms has created new and exciting opportunities for production, distribution, and consumption of content. Producers and distributors are meeting their audiences where they live, which is increasingly on digital platforms. As digital content garners more viewers, internet advertising is projected to overtake TV...

CEO’s Executive Summary: This longer-than-normal update covers an eventful few weeks in the Trump transition and in Mexico. The President-elect has nominated or appointed a team responsible for key aspects of U.S.-Mexico relations composed of individuals who appear receptive to sustaining the cooperative and collaborative character of the bilateral relationship, notwithstanding Mr. Trump’s...

CEO’s Executive Summary: The persistent and strident attacks on Mexico and Mexicans that peppered candidate Donald J. Trump’s election rhetoric have been toned down in the transition. But this more moderate stance still includes a commitment to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, deport millions of undocumented Mexicans, and have Mexico pay for the infamous “wall,” as well as...

CEO’s Executive Summary: October news was dominated by cabinet changes and progress on the 2017 budget. Senator Raul Cervantes replaced Arely Gomez as attorney general, reflecting renewed efforts to stem crime and corruption in Mexico. Gomez moved to the federal comptroller’s office, where she will head up the administration’s anticorruption efforts. Congress approved the revenue estimate for the

CEO’s Executive Summary: The economy dominated the news in September. The President presented an austere 2017 federal budget that concentrates 42% of its cuts on Pemex, forcing the firm to further deepen spending cuts. The Congress has until October 31 to approve the tax bill and until November 15 to approve the spending bill. September also reaffirmed the peso’s new role as a proxy for the U.S....

CEO’s Executive Summary: We have an unusually long update this month, given many developments in August and this morning’s cabinet reshuffle announced by the President. On September 7 President Peña Nieto reshuffled the heart of his cabinet, accepting the resignation of Finance Minister Luis Videgaray and replacing him with Social Development Secretary (and former Foreign Minister) José...

CEO’s Note: The anti-Mexico sentiments evident at the Republican National Convention coincided with more positive developments in U.S.-Mexico relations, including a one-day official visit by President Peña Nieto to Washington that highlighted our close, productive, and friendly bilateral relationship. Last month also witnessed the final approval of the national anticorruption system, Mexico’s...

In This Issue: - Introduction - A Revamped Institutional Architecture - New Makeup of the Electricity Supply Chain .. Generation .. T&D Network .. Retailing - A note of Renewables - Investment Opportunities .. Natural Gas .. Geothermal .. Wind .. Solar - Conclusion - Excerpt from Introduction: The scope of Mexico’

In This Issue: - Introduction - A Monumental Constitutional Amendment - Understanding the New Risk Contracts - Navigating the Regulatory Environment - Investment Opportunities: ..Understanding Round Zero ..Farm Outs ..New Fields and Reservoirs ..Timeline - Conclusion - Appendix A: Geographic Area and Breakdown of Resources for Round

Mexico’s healthcare system is underfunded and inadequately organized to meet the needs of its population in light of increasing longevity and the growing challenges created by the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. The healthcare system has not changed substantially since the Health Ministry was established in 1943, yet the profile of...

Two early September events in Mexico – a PRD leadership election and the President’s State of the Union Address – suggest the persistence of productive executive-legislative relations through the end of 2014 and the revival of economic growth in 2015. The durability of this political-economic context, however, will pivot on at least two other upcoming events – a potential referendum on energy...

After months of a loud and often fractious debate, the Mexican Congress passed the implementing legislation for telecom reform nearly a year after the constitutional reform to the sector was approved. Reform of the telecom sector promises to be as transformative as that of the energy sector. The reform’s main objective is to enhance Mexican economic competitiveness by bringing down costs...

The excessive concentration and lack of economic competition in many sectors of the Mexican economy, especially in the realms of telecommunications and broadcasting, are well known. For decades politicians have been talking about the need for reform. Weak and inefficient regulatory and public policy frameworks have kept the government from effectively addressing the quasi-monopolistic market...

Mexico's hydrocarbons sector will not be overhauled under Mexico's new President Enrique Peña Nieto to the point of the State losing ownership and control of the resource, but reforms that offer new business opportunities are likely. The reform effort for the oil and gas sectors is scheduled to be launched in the first year of the President's six-year term. While the major political parties in...

On December 1, Enrique Peña Nieto will be inaugurated as Mexico's next President, reflecting the third orderly transition of power. Gone are the days when the end of a presidential sexenio signaled financial market disruption, dramatic policy shifts, and almost complete bureaucratic turnover. But more than political stability, Mexico's focus on creating an environment that attracts and supports...