Assessing the impact of Mexico’s Welfare Bank: Reaching the hardest-to-reach populations

Mexico’s Welfare Bank was established in 2019 as an important financial institution responsible principally for delivering economic aids offered by the Ministry of Welfare through its numerous social programs and services. Recently, the bank announced that it operates 3,149 branches across all 32 federal entities of Mexico, potentially making it the largest financial institution in the country. The bank aims to serve 27 million beneficiaries of the Ministry of Welfare’s social programs, many of whom reside in the most remote parts of the country. On paper, the bank appears to be doing a good job at alleviating poverty and advancing financial inclusion in the region. This project will investigate the activities of the Welfare Bank and its true impacts on the lives of Mexicans, particularly those who, due to a combination of geographical, social, economic, and political factors, are simultaneously the most in need and the hardest to reach.