Anti-Money Laundering Law Reform: Key Changes for the Real Estate Sector

By Luis Torres | September 10, 2025

Official Publication of the Reform

On July 16, the reform to the Federal Law for the Prevention and Identification of Operations with Resources of Illicit Origin was published in the Federal Official Gazette.

​This reform is especially relevant to our industry, as real estate brokerage operations continue to be classified as vulnerable activities that must be registered through the anti-money laundering portal of the Ministry of Finance (Secretaría de Hacienda).

Why Is This Law Important?

This law allows the Mexican government to collaborate on a global level in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, as part of a broader international effort led by the world’s largest economies.

It’s based on recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF, or GAFI in Spanish), following evaluations of each country’s legal framework.

Main Goals of the Reform

This reform aims to:

  • Strengthen the prevention of criminal organizations using the financial system and economic sectors.
  • Align the legal framework with FATF recommendations.
  • Introduce more effective tools for supervision and control, such as audits, digital systems, and inter-agency cooperation.
  • Close regulatory and operational gaps in sectors traditionally seen as vulnerable, like real estate, virtual assets, and trust operations.

Obligations That Remain in Effect

Business entities (sociedades mercantiles) are still required to:

  • Keep documentation that supports their transactions.
  • File notices with the tax authority when applicable.

What This Means for the Private Sector

As a result of the reform, several players in the real estate sector—such as developers, landlords, fiduciaries, and real estate promoters—are now formally classified as obligated subjects, meaning they have a higher level of responsibility in complying with the law.

What Is Not Included in This Reform?

It’s worth noting that the reform does not include regulation for:

  • Cash donations
  • Educational institutions
  • Large public events
  • Labor unions
  • Political parties

Donner y Asociados’ Commitment

At Donner y Asociados, we consider full compliance with current legislation to be a core part of our philosophy. That’s why we place great importance on collecting all required documents and information in every real estate transaction.

This process not only ensures transparency, but also allows us to fulfill our obligations in preventing money laundering by reporting each operation to the Financial Intelligence Unit (Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera) of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, through the official online portal created for this purpose.

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