UNCTAD message to Mexico on foreign investment and regulatory certainty, Digi Mart USA News (Doha, Qatar): Mexico’s productive integration with the United States represents an advantage for attracting foreign investment, but taking advantage of it requires clear rules, solid institutions and a predictable business environment, said Luz María de la Mora, a former foreign trade official in Mexico. In an interview with Bloomberg Línea during the 2026 World Investment Forum in Doha, Qatar, she argued that in a context of transformation in international trade, certainty has become one of the main assets for competing for new projects.
“To attract investment, the best insurance is certainty,” the official said when referring to the conditions needed to attract foreign capital. De la Mora is currently director of the International Trade and Commodities Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
De la Mora explained that trade agreements between developing and developed economies offer an important advantage by establishing rules for the exchange of goods, services and investment. In Mexico’s case, she said, these instruments help create greater predictability for companies seeking to establish or expand their operations.
“That, in itself, is a great asset for attracting investment,” she said.
The official stressed that trade integration also allows countries to participate in broader markets, take advantage of economies of scale and strengthen their appeal as investment destinations.
Mexico’s productive and commercial proximity to the United States is one of the main factors that distinguish it from other economies competing for investment. De la Mora said trade agreements and integration into regional supply chains give access to larger markets and foster productive relationships between companies in different countries.
The official noted that Mexico, like several Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, has trade agreements with the United States that support the integration of their production chains and expand opportunities to attract investment. According to De la Mora, this linkage helps create broader markets and generates opportunities for new investment.
UNCTAD’s director of international trade also highlighted that having the United States as Mexico’s main export market is a significant advantage. “Having the United States as the main trading partner and main export market is a privilege not everyone has,” she said.
She noted that access to the U.S. market and integration into production chains represent advantages for Mexico in attracting investment.
However, she said, having trade advantages does not eliminate the need to strengthen domestic conditions for attracting capital. For De la Mora, Mexico’s ability to make the most of its trade advantages also depends on the certainty it offers companies and investors.
“Knowing that there are clear rules, that there are long-term rules, that there is transparency when changes occur,” the official said when explaining the conditions she considers fundamental for attracting capital.
De la Mora explained that changes to public policy may occur, but they must be communicated transparently so that companies understand their implications. She also underscored the need to avoid harmful retroactive effects and to have institutions capable of resolving disputes through procedures subject to the rule of law.
In her view, institutional predictability benefits both investors and governments by establishing mechanisms to address differences under the rules in force.
The official argued that a predictable business environment is one of the best conditions for attracting investment in the short and medium term.
Although the United States holds a central place in Mexico’s economy, De la Mora said Mexico has also developed trade relationships with other markets that help strengthen its capacity to adapt to international changes. She noted that trade openness has transformed the country’s productive structure.
Mexico moved from relying heavily on exports of oil, raw materials and agricultural products during the 1980s to building an economy with significant manufacturing production and exports. According to De la Mora, that transformation was linked to access to international markets, economies of scale and the arrival of productive investment.
In addition to its integration with the United States, Mexico has developed trade agreements with the European Union, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, Latin America and Asian economies.
These relationships expand options for exporting products and importing inputs, which helps reduce exposure to changes in a single market. “That also gives Mexico the opportunity to have resilience in its production chains, its commercial and investment activity, because it has alternative markets, both to export and to import inputs,” she explained.
For the official, the combination of productive integration with the United States, market diversification and institutional certainty forms a basis for Mexico to continue taking advantage of investment opportunities in a changing international environment.
