Mexico's National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) published a behavioural study on financial inclusion among 18 to 29 year olds in rural and suburban areas, focusing on behavioural barriers and gender social norms, and reporting findings from a behavioural-science intervention. The initial assessment found low financial inclusion among participating students and identified key barriers including distrust of the formal financial system, low levels of financial education, and gender norms that cast men as providers and women as caregivers. The study also noted cognitive biases such as lack of self-control and present bias, alongside unhealthy financial behaviours such as not tracking income and expenses and not setting goals. A pilot intervention combining financial education and inclusion tools, grounded in behavioural economics and neuroscience, was implemented with support from CONCAMEX, Federación Alianza, Caja Popular Apaseo el Alto, and the Instituto Tecnológico de Roque (Campus Apaseo el Alto); it was associated with improved budgeting and goal-setting, increased use of formal products such as accounts and credit, reduced impulsive purchasing, higher trust in financial institutions, and stronger understanding of concepts including interest, risk and diversification. CNBV and AFI indicated the lessons from the project will be used to design future programmes to strengthen financial education and expand more equitable inclusion for young people in Mexico.

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