Every May, money transfers from Mexicans living abroad surge. The reason is not economic, but sentimental: Mother’s Day has established itself as the second-busiest period—and in some years, even the first—for remittance flows into Mexico, surpassed only by the year-end holiday season. Furthermore, the manner in which this money arrives has changed radically over the last decade.
According to the Bank of Mexico’s (BdeM) May 2025 Report on Remittance Income and Outflows, the country received $5.352 billion that month, stemming from 13.9 million transactions (averaging $385 per transaction).
Although this figure represents a 4.6 percent contraction compared to May 2024—a result of the hostile immigration policies of U.S. President Donald Trump—the volume of digital transactions remained at historically high levels.
From April to November 2025, money transfers declined, due in part to the prevailing macroeconomic and political climate.
However, the most recent trends indicate a recovery. According to the *Migration and Remittances Analysis* produced by BBVA Mexico’s Economic Studies division, $5.394 billion in family remittances flowed into the country in March 2026—a 4.9 percent increase compared to the same month in 2025, marking the largest surge seen in the last 16 months.
This rebound arrives just ahead of Mother’s Day, foreshadowing a May in which remittance figures are expected to surpass those of the previous year.
The increase observed early in the year is partly attributable to the depreciation of the peso against the dollar; this boosts the real value of each transfer and discourages migrants from cutting back on their remittances.
Historically, Mexico receives an average of 6.5 percent more remittances in May than in either April or June, according to BBVA Research. According to the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco), mothers are the recipients of 49.8 percent of the remittances sent in May. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the Bank of Mexico and the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies confirms that the primary declared destination for remittances—cited in 49 percent of the interviews—is the mother.
“Mother’s Day doesn’t boost the economy simply because someone sends a larger amount. It boosts it because millions of people who never send money do so on that particular day,” summarized Andrés Fontao, CEO of Finnosummit.
The allocation of these funds also differs. Unlike during the rest of the year—when remittances are primarily used for basic necessities such as food, housing, or education—in May, celebratory spending takes precedence.
According to Profeco, 51 percent of these funds are allocated to the purchase of clothing, footwear, and accessories, while 19 percent go toward beauty and personal care products.
Approximately 99 percent of remittances are processed through the Bank of Mexico’s Interbank Electronic Payment System (SPEI). “Digitalization is irreversible,” and it offers numerous advantages to the more than 12 million Mexicans residing in the United States—who account for 96 percent of all remittances sent—stated Jaime Márquez Poo, Partner and Executive Director of Business Development at Sistema de Transferencias y Pagos.
