Months before the 2026 Soccer World Cup, the Mexican banking system activated a national strategy to detect possible cases of human trafficking and financial operations linked to this crime. The objective is to respond to the risks that tend to increase in large-scale international events.
Massive training in branches
The Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM), the Citizen Council for Security and Justice of Mexico City and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that nearly 100,000 employees of financial institutions are being trained to identify warning signs and channel reports on possible cases of exploitation.
The initiative covers more than 11 thousand bank branches of the 54 institutions affiliated with the ABM. These participate in awareness and prevention actions at the national level.
The purpose is to strengthen the capacities of the financial system to detect operations that could be linked to trafficking networks and contribute to the protection of people in vulnerable situations.
According to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, during 2025 the number of trafficking victims in Mexico grew 47%.
Faced with this panorama, the organizations pointed out the importance of strengthening coordination between authorities, international organizations and the private sector to prevent crime and care for affected people.
The strategy coincides with alerts issued by the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV), the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) and the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) about the risks associated with trafficking and money laundering.
As part of the program, UNODC and the Citizen Council developed training materials focused on identifying unusual financial movements, atypical transaction patterns and other risk indicators related to possible cases of sexual and labor exploitation.
Branches will also disseminate informational materials to help recognize early signs of trafficking and promote the Citizen Council’s National Anti-Human Trafficking Hotline and Chat. This service provides legal and psychological guidance, emotional support and accompaniment to victims 24 hours a day, free of charge, anonymous and confidential.
The initiative seeks to close spaces for resources from this crime to enter or circulate within the formal banking system.




