Southern Quintana Roo Lacks Banks and Internet to Ditch Cash, Accountants Warn

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Southern Quintana Roo lacks the banks, ATMs and internet service needed to move away from cash payments, the state’s accountants’ association has warned, casting doubt on a federal plan to expand digital transactions.

The College of Accountants of Quintana Roo said the state’s southern region has neither the banking infrastructure nor reliable internet service to support the shift from cash to electronic payments proposed by Mexico’s federal government.

Rural communities pose one of the biggest obstacles, particularly in Othón P. Blanco municipality, where card payments are uncommon and many residents have little experience with new technology.

José Polanco Bueno, a former president of the organization, said a lack of connectivity at gas stations in rural areas would prevent any short-term move toward electronic transactions in the region.

“In rural areas there aren’t even banks, there are no ATMs, and many people don’t use a single card; they pay for everything in cash,” he said.

The 2027 Economic Package that the federal government delivered to Congress includes a proposed Digital Economy Law that would give the Finance Ministry (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público) new powers to designate strategic sectors where transactions could be conducted exclusively through digital means. Gas stations and toll booths are among the activities that could fall under the new rules.

The measure is part of a broader strategy to reduce Mexico’s reliance on cash and increase the share of electronic transactions. Polanco Bueno acknowledged that the plan aims to combat money laundering, but warned it will run into numerous obstacles in rural areas, especially when internet service is unavailable at the moment of a purchase.

Abelardo Fuentes, a resident of the community of Pucté, said he was surprised by the proposal. Among residents of the sugar-growing area, he said, it is customary to “pay with cold hard cash.”

He said he opposes the initiative, arguing that stores, including gas stations, lack the equipment and systems needed to process digital payments.

Ricardo Barbosa, a resident of the village of Rovirosa, agreed. “We don’t even have a bank and we pay for everything in cash; there’s no way they can expect us to pay with cards,” he said.

He added that residents must travel to Chetumal to pay their electricity and water bills, precisely because there are no local institutions or businesses that allow such payments to be made digitally.