Nafin Accelerates Green Financing for SMEs with a Focus on Energy Efficiency and Competitiveness
Nacional Financiera (Nafin) is ramping up its offering of sustainable loans for small and medium-sized enterprises with the aim of reducing their energy consumption while also easing operational costs. The program, part of the federal government's so-called Mexico Plan, prioritizes manufacturing, textile, hospitality, food and beverage companies, as well as suppliers in the automotive sector—all segments with high savings potential and facing intense competitive pressure.
According to the institution, the scheme starts with a free energy assessment for each company, from which an efficiency investment plan is developed. The loans—channeled through financial intermediaries—offer terms of up to eight years, grace periods, and a maximum amount of 15 million pesos, with an interest rate capped at 16%, below the typical costs many SMEs face in the traditional market. Nafin has set a goal to benefit at least 1,200 companies; so far, around 240 have already accessed this financing.
The focus on efficiency comes amid high electricity demand, episodes of stress on the power grid, and volatile energy costs for industry, not to mention interest rates that remain high by historical standards. For SMEs—which make up the vast majority of the country’s businesses and contribute a significant share of both employment and GDP—cutting electricity bills can mean the difference between maintaining profit margins or postponing investments. In this context, a loan with a medium-term horizon and an initial grace period facilitates projects whose returns typically materialize within the first few years.
The most common interventions include LED lighting, variable frequency drives, high-efficiency motors, upgrading refrigeration and compressed air systems, thermal management for processes, heat recovery, power factor correction, and, when feasible, distributed generation with solar panels. According to the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), about 62% of greenhouse gas emissions in Mexico are linked to energy generation and use, making energy efficiency an immediate and cost-effective lever to reduce emissions without slowing down productive activity.
The strategy is also aligned with rising decarbonization demands along global supply chains. With the push for nearshoring, suppliers in northern and Bajío regions are facing requirements from their clients to track and reduce Scope 2 and 3 emissions. Improvements in efficiency and on-site power generation can help companies lower their carbon footprint and open doors to new contracts. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Sustainable Taxonomy, driven by the Ministry of Finance, provides a framework for labeling and directing capital toward green projects, potentially broadening access to competitive financing for SMEs.
Challenges remain, however, especially on the operational side: interconnection capacity in some areas, equipment delivery times, local permitting, and the need for qualified technical providers for installation and maintenance. The incoming federal administration has signaled its intent to strengthen electrical infrastructure and expand clean energy generation, which—if carried out—would make it easier to scale up energy efficiency and distributed generation projects across the business sector.
In the short term, the performance of Nafin’s program will serve as a barometer for how quickly SMEs adopt efficient technology and how well they can weather energy costs. If the anticipated savings materialize and rates continue to stabilize, green financing could become a go-to tool to boost competitiveness, cut emissions, and anchor productive investments in regions with robust manufacturing activity.
In short, Nafin’s sustainable loan program combines technical assessments, reasonable financial terms, and a focus on sectors with high savings potential. Its progress could help relieve cost pressures on SMEs, support decarbonization targets, and reinforce key nearshoring links. The challenge will be scaling it up efficiently, ensuring high-quality implementations, and removing infrastructure and permitting bottlenecks.
