Mexico to Introduce New 10-Peso Coins in 2026 with Updated Materials and Security Features

Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico will introduce new 10-peso coins in 2026 featuring updated materials designed to reduce production costs and enhance security, the Treasury Department confirmed this week.

The coins will use more economical, secure, and sustainable production materials while maintaining their traditional designs that reflect Mexico’s history.

“These pieces will continue reflecting the history of deep Mexico through metal, but with a necessary evolution: optimizing their fabrication, reinforcing anti-counterfeiting security, and incorporating more complex technological elements,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

The central part of the coins may be manufactured with various alloys including sterling silver, silver-plated nickel silver, or nickel-plated steel, while the peripheral ring will be made of bronze-aluminum or bronze-plated steel.

Lower Costs and More Technology

In December, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved two measures modifying the characteristics of 10- and 20-peso coins in an update aimed at modernizing the country’s monetary system and optimizing production costs.

The legislation amending the Monetary Law of the United Mexican States establishes that Mexico will have a new standardized 20-peso coin with generic design, along with material changes for the 10-peso coin.

For the 10-peso coin, deputies approved adding the option to use nickel-plated steel for manufacturing its core. This provides alternative materials that can reduce production costs without altering the coin’s appearance, design engravings, or properties of shape, size, and edge characteristics.

The change considers potential fluctuations in metal prices currently used for production, as well as the development of new production techniques that favor minting with specific metals.

The approved initiative notes that the coin industry has developed new technologies and materials for minting monetary signs at lower costs without compromising durability, while also allowing for new security elements, particularly electromagnetic signatures. These signatures depend mainly on the metallic composition of coins and provide considerable advantages for their use and authentication in automated payment equipment and coin sorters.

In 2023, the Bank of Mexico and the Mexican Mint conducted tests focused on evaluating the feasibility and convenience of using nickel-plated steel in the production of Mexican 10-peso coins.