Antitrust authority opens investigation into grocery vouchers and electronic payments

The Investigating Authority of the National Antitrust Commission reported the start of the investigation based on the complaint identified with case number DE-014-2026, for the possible commission of relative monopolistic practices in the market for the “acceptance of grocery vouchers and electronic payment methods in retail establishments, and related services, within the national territory.” The notice was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on Thursday, October 22, 2026, on pages 98 and 99, within the section managed by the National Antitrust Commission.

A complaint case with national scope

The procedure was opened by complaint and covers all possible conducts that may be proven in the relevant market determined within the investigated market, which the authority delimits in national terms and not by city or region. The declared object includes both the acceptance of grocery vouchers and electronic payment methods in retail establishments and in the services related to such acceptance.

The authority based the agreement on the relative monopolistic practices provided for in articles 12, fractions I and XXXVIII; 28, fractions II and XIV; 52, 54, 56, fraction XI, 58, 59, 66, 71, and 137 of the Federal Law of Economic Competition, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on May 23, 2014, and in effect since July 7 of that year. The last modification applicable to the case is the one published on July 16, 2025, which entered into force on July 17, 2025.

It also invoked articles 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 54, and 55 of the Regulatory Provisions of the Federal Law of Economic Competition, published on November 10, 2014, whose last applicable modification was published on February 21, 2024.

Deadlines, confidentiality, and investigative powers

The notice precisely sets the inquiry calendar and the rules regarding the information to be gathered:

• The investigation period shall not be less than thirty business days nor exceed one hundred and twenty business days, counted from the date of the agreement.
• This period may be extended up to three times, pursuant to article 71 of the Federal Law of Economic Competition.
• The information and documents obtained directly in the investigations and verification proceedings shall be reserved, confidential, or public, according to articles 3, 76, 124, and 125 of the same law.
• The case file was referred to the General Directorate of Market Investigations, based on the Organic Statute of the National Antitrust Commission, published on November 19, 2025.

That office may request documentation and information, conduct verification visits once ordered, summon for testimony those related to the facts, carry out inspection proceedings, and use enforcement measures. The notice is also published on the commission’s website so that any person may collaborate in the procedure during the investigation period.

A notice that does not prejudge responsibilities

The National Antimonopoly Commission emphasized that the agreement refers solely to the initiation of an administrative inquiry procedure. The acts that could constitute a violation have not yet been definitively identified, nor have the subjects who would be called to defend themselves as probable responsible parties, nor has the relevant market been determined.

Therefore, the notice should not be understood as a prejudgment regarding the responsibility of any economic agent, pursuant to Article 54 of the Regulatory Provisions. Only if sufficient elements exist will proceedings be carried out under the terms of Articles 78, fraction I, 79, and 80 of the law, which refer to the opinion of probable responsibility.

The document was signed in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, by the head of the Investigating Authority, José Manuel Haro Zepeda.

The opening of this file places under scrutiny a payment chain that spans payrolls, labor benefits, and daily purchases: any restriction detected in the acceptance of vouchers and electronic wallets is passed on to millions of consumers, retail businesses of all sizes, and the issuers of those instruments. The investigation is, for now, a compliance verification and not a sanction.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, October 22, 2026, Section I, pp. 98-99 (official reference: file DE-014-2026).