Remittances to Mexico plunged by over one billion U.S. dollars in June, a sharp 16 percent drop that is rattling household budgets and threatening one of the country's most vital economic lifelines.
Two years ago, Leonor Perez's husband left their Mexico City home and crossed into the United States undocumented, lured by smugglers' promises of earning ten times his construction wage and sending money back to build a better life.
"The remittances are very important, they sustain our family, fund the construction of our house, and allow us to establish a business, so that when he comes home, we have more stability than when he left," she said.
However, in 2025, the plan began to fray.
"He used to send at least 600 dollars, 800 if he had a good month. But now I'm getting 400 dollars a month. That's just enough to live on. All our other projects are on hold," she said.
Leonora isn't alone. Remittances to Mexico are down since Donald Trump's return to the White House.
June of this year saw remittances sent to Mexico drop by more than one billion dollars compared to the same month last year - from 6.2 billion U.S. dollars down to 5.2 billion U.S. dollars - an enormous drop for one of this country's most important economic drivers.
Remittances historically contribute three to four percent of Mexico's GDP - more than tourism or even oil, said Ulises Tellez, CEO of Pagaphone, a fintech company specializing in digitalizing that economic flow.
He said the U.S. crackdown on undocumented migrants is behind the drop.
"Law enforcement in the U.S. regarding labor [makes] migrants more cautious, obviously, and also they have less money, because there are less jobs. The second issue is about policy in the U.S. As you know, they have been talking about levies for remittances, which makes the migrants uncomfortable," he said.
The difficulties faced by migrants in America are having direct impacts on those who depend on them in Mexico.
"Remittances are a lifeline for many Mexican households. So unfortunately, the most vulnerable will be the first ones to be affected," Tellez said.
Families that depend on money from abroad are under greater strain than ever. Leonor says her biggest fear now is that her husband will be caught in a migration raid and detained before the next remittance arrives, however reduced it might be.
Remittances to Mexico drop, raising concerns over impact on overall economy
Remittances to Mexico drop, raising concerns over impact on overall economy
China's securities regulator has pledged to prioritize market stability and resolutely prevent sharp fluctuations as a core objective for 2026, aiming to consolidate sound development of the capital market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) made the commitment at its annual work conference on Thursday, where the regulator reviewed the past year's performance and outlined key tasks for 2026.
In 2025, listed companies distributed a combined total of 2.68 trillion yuan (about 380 billion U.S. dollars) in cash dividends and share buybacks throughout the year, further consolidating the momentum for high-quality development.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings reached a combined 1.26 trillion yuan, while the exchange bond market issued various bonds totaling 16.3 trillion yuan.
Eighteen futures and options products were smoothly listed, demonstrating the robust functioning of the multi-tiered capital market.
The meeting emphasized that while the capital market currently shows stable and sound performance, it still faces complex and severe challenges posed by intertwined domestic and external risks as well as the overlapping of persisting and emerging issues.
Efforts will be made to effectively enhance the intrinsic stability of the market, the CSRC said, adding that it will rigorously investigate and punish excessive speculation, market manipulation, and other illegal activities to prevent sharp market fluctuations.
It will work to foster a market ecosystem where "long-term capital engages in long-term investment," the regulator said, pledging efforts to broaden the channels for medium and long-term capital inflows, introduce various products and risk management tools suited to long-term investment, and actively guide long-term, rational and value-based investment.
It also vowed to enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the multi-tiered equity market, crack down on illegal activities such as financial fraud, price manipulation and insider trading, and enhance corporate governance among listed firms.
The CSRC will advance the two-way opening up of the capital market in 2026.
Efforts will be made to expedite the implementation of the optimized Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, expand the scope of futures products accessible to foreign investors, and enhance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, the regulator said.
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
