Episodes

  • 56. GBM on Helping Mexicans Invest; Canada–Mexico Ties; New Film Tax Credits; Aeromexico’s Cash Generation; Kavak Raise
    Feb 19 2026

    Pedro de Garay, co-CEO of GBM and founder of Siclo, describes the pivot from a broker and investment bank built for Mexico’s financial elite to a mass-market investing platform, scaled with SoftBank backing and designed for first-time investors. We look at what comes next as GBM tries to turn scale into higher profitability.

    Diplomat Shauna Hemingway joins from the Canadian delegation of business leaders visiting Mexico to discuss where Canadian companies are investing, how they are reading the USMCA review, and the frictions that still slow cross-border deals.

    Before the interviews, Eduardo and Damian cover Mexico’s new 30% film and TV production tax credit, including local supplier rules and minimum spend thresholds, and Netflix’s new Mexico City headquarters, another signal that it sees Mexico as a long-term production base.

    We analyse Aeroméxico’s impressive cash generation in 2025, and Kavak’s fresh funding and what it says about late-stage tech in Mexico. We then break down Walmex’s softer 4Q25 results, a reminder that the consumer is still under pressure and competition is tightening. And on the Caribbean coast, early sargassum arrivals near Cancún are back on the radar, with potential consequences for tourism as the season approaches.


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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • 55. Proof of Human in an AI world: Cash-to-Digital Payments; Crime Hits Investment
    Feb 12 2026

    Martin Mazza from Sam Altman’s Tools for Humanity and its World project, tells us why Mexico and LatAm are key markets for Proof of Human tools in an AI world, how far they’ve progressed in getting Latin Americans to “eyeball up,” and what still needs to happen to reach critical scale. We also chat with another Argentine, Tomás Mindlin, CEO and co-founder of tapi, following the company’s US$27M Series B, on why Mexico is central to their expansion, profitability, the Arcus integration, and the role of cash-in/cash-out in Mexico’s payments digitalization. As always, Eduardo and Damian kick off with their take on some of the week’s main business stories: the Vizsla-linked kidnappings and murders in Sinaloa and what they signal about security risk in mining; Chinese OEM interest in Mexico colliding with U.S. tariff pressure and trade politics; Nu’s overcooked Mexico messaging; and the Volaris–Viva tie-up as the key stress test for Mexico’s new competition authority.

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • 54. Homebuilding, Infrastructure Plan, BBVA’s Mexico Blowout, Workweek Reform, and Pemex
    Feb 5 2026

    We interview Domingo Valdés, CFO of Vinte, Mexico’s largest homebuilder, on where Mexican housing is headed over the next decade. We discuss policy shifts from Peña Nieto to AMLO to Sheinbaum, Infonavit’s expanding role, the successful Javer acquisition, and how Vinte’s ESG focus translates into financial benefits. Before the interview, Eduardo and Damian first break down the week’s biggest Mexico storylines. Namely, the relevance of Mexico to Sunday’s Super Bowl; the government’s new multi-year infrastructure push; BBVA México’s blowout results and why Mexico remains the group’s profit engine; the proposed workweek reduction and what it could mean for the formal vs. informal labor divide; and the latest on Pemex’s “turnaround” narrative.


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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 53. ZONAMACO Art Fair, Mexican Brands in the US, Grupo México - Mexico’s new MVP
    Jan 29 2026

    ZONAMACO takes centre stage this week as we interview Zélika García, the founder behind Mexico’s top contemporary art fair, on how it became a global hit. We also speak with consultant Juan Saldívar on selling Mexican consumer brands in the US. And as always, Eduardo and Damian break down Mexico’s top business moves of the week: Sheinbaum’s private meetings with senior bankers and economic officials to push funding for Plan México and deepen credit; Revolut’s headline 15% yield on small deposits; and Banorte’s latest strong results and 2026 outlook. We also discuss how Grupo México became by far Mexico’s most valuable company, and how it’s poised to deploy its massive cash pile to invest more in mining, if permits come through.

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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • 52. Mexico’s Water Challenges & Solutions; Davos MIA; 2026 Financials, Energy & Mining Outlook
    Jan 22 2026

    We interview Andrés Pliego on the outlook for Mexico’s water sector and how Rotoplas, where he is CFO, is investing across the region by providing practical, decentralized water solutions. Before the interview, Eduardo and Damian discuss the 2026 outlook for Mexico’s financials, energy, and mining sectors. We look at the impact of fintechs on lending and deposit rates, question Pemex’s ability to raise oil production, and highlight the need for the government to unlock mining investment by accelerating the approval of permits. We also discuss Mexico’s notable absence at Davos 2026. While thousands of the world’s leading CEOs and government figures were present in perhaps the most interesting Davos of all time, Mexico’s top brass was mostly absent.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 51. Autos, USMCA 2026 and Mexico’s Sector Outlook
    Jan 15 2026

    This week we interview Odracir Barquera, Head of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA), on the negative impact of US tariffs on Mexico’s automotive industry in 2025 and how the 2026 USMCA review could unfold for what is the most important sector in Mexico’s economy. The review could either cut current tariffs and ease uncertainty in a best-case scenario or worse-case cement the current unfavorable treatment of Mexican auto exports and hurt investment for decades to come. Ahead of that, Eduardo and Damian assess the 2026 outlook across Mexico’s media & telecom, real estate, aviation and airports, and consumer sectors, focusing on how the USMCA, the World Cup, M&A activity, rising real wages and labor costs, and falling interest rates may shape each industry.

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    52 mins
  • 50. Human Capital & Education, 2026 Outlook, Air Merger and Televisa Ownership Shuffle
    Jan 8 2026

    To restart our weekly podcast, Damián and Eduardo speak with Michael Fung, a leading expert in human capital, education, and skills development at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He shares his assessment of how Mexico is performing in these areas—and the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence brings to education and the workforce. Damian and I also discuss the outlook for the Mexican economy in 2026, as well as the late-2025 announcement of a potential merger between Mexico’s two low-cost airlines, VivaAerobus and Volaris. Finally, we review the latest changes in Grupo Televisa's ownership structure.


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    57 mins
  • 49. Classical Music, Monterrey Smog, 2025 Highlights and Bread Wars
    Dec 18 2025

    For our Christmas special, we interview Carlos Miguel Prieto, renowned Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, about the business and current state of classical music in Mexico. We also speak with Verónica García de León about the smog crisis in Monterrey: what’s driving it, and why it persists. To kick off, Eduardo and I discuss Mexico’s 2025 corporate and market highlights, from Fernando Chico Pardo taking control of Banamex, to the rally in Pemex bonds, IPOs at Aeroméxico, Fibra Next, and Esentia, and a wave of new CEOs at Coppel, Alsea, Walmex, Femsa, Bimbo, and others. Finally: Bread Culture Wars. We reflect on the Green Rhino / Richard Hart controversy, and how intemperate comments on the alleged poor quality of Mexican bread rolls in an obscure 2024 podcast became a social-media firestorm 18 months later, and turned into a proxy for (some of) Mexico’s gentrification and anti-foreign anxieties.


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    1 hr and 30 mins