Inaugural Address Expo PyME Monterrey 2026

Jorge H. Santos Reyna

September 8, 2026 – CINTERMEX

Good morning everyone.

If something distinguishes Nuevo León, it is that here businesses are not just created: they are worked, transformed, and grown with a long-term vision. Behind every SME is effort, talent, discipline, and an enormous capacity to turn challenges into opportunities.

That is why, for those of us who are part of CAINTRA, there is no better way to begin September than by gathering around the small and medium-sized enterprises of Nuevo León and Mexico; companies that every day generate employment, strengthen value chains, and sustain a good portion of our country's productive activity.

It is an honor to welcome you to Expo PyME Monterrey 2026, an event that year after year challenges us to surpass what we have achieved and to strengthen the role of SMEs in the economic and social life of our region. I appreciate the presence of the distinguished authorities and business leaders who accompany us today: the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, the Government of the State of Nuevo León, the Mexican Business Council, CONCAMIN, the Ministry of Economy of Nuevo León, the Municipality of Monterrey, as well as consular representatives, allied organizations, CAINTRA partners, and friends of the industry.

My recognition also goes to the CAINTRA Council, our SME Commissions, and especially to all the businesswomen and businessmen who are here today to open new doors, build alliances, and continue growing their businesses.

Today, Nuevo León’s industrial community is the strongest in the country. CAINTRA has more than 5,000 members, and nearly 85% of them are small and medium-sized enterprises. This composition reflects something very important: behind our state’s industrial strength, there are thousands of SMEs that produce, innovate, supply, export, and create opportunities every day.

That is why supporting SMEs is a core part of our raison d'être. Our work consists of supporting them so they sell more, prepare better, access financing, reduce administrative burdens, and integrate more strongly into productive value chains. Expo PyME is the Chamber's main investment to drive that purpose. We do this through three pillars: the Business Matchmaking Event, Business Training, and the Exhibition of solutions for business growth.

CAINTRA's SME Expo has established itself as a benchmark for the entire business support ecosystem in Nuevo León and across the country. Each edition aims to help more and more companies find concrete tools to grow here. This year we took a step further. We expanded the exhibition floor with an additional hall at CINTERMEX to offer more business solutions and open more networking spaces between anchor companies and supplier SMEs.

We expect to welcome more than 15,000 SME business owners and entrepreneurs. In addition, we have strengthened our Business and B2B Matchmaking Event, featuring more than 105 buying companies and the availability of 3,000 appointments for SMEs that meet the established requirements. Behind every business appointment, there could be a new production line, an additional hire, a pending investment, or the possibility for a family-owned business to take the next step.

Buyer companies from other states of the Republic also join, which broadens commercial horizons for companies in Nuevo León and confirms that this networking model can scale to new regions and sectors.

Together, with more than 1,500 product and service requirements already published, these opportunities represent a potential of up to 14.5 billion pesos in purchases from SMEs.

The Expo will also feature a business training program featuring industry leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and specialists who will share experiences and tools to address common challenges in personnel, management, operations, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing. 2With this, Expo PyME reaffirms its role as a platform to strengthen domestic content, promote "Made in Mexico" products, and bring SMEs closer to new market opportunities, replicating a networking model that we have taken to the Ministry of Economy and other entities in the country.

We know that for an SME, selling more does not always mean growing more if it lacks liquidity, talent, technology, and the conditions to operate. Therefore, from CAINTRA we have listened carefully to a very specific need: it is not enough to open markets; we must also help companies have the resources to serve them.

In coordination with development banks and commercial banks, we are moving forward on three fronts. The first is factoring, which allows suppliers of large companies to turn their invoices into immediate liquidity. Hand in hand with Nacional Financiera and with the backing of the Ministry of Finance, this first stage is already benefiting more than 3,000 supplier SMEs, with more competitive conditions compared to the market.

Furthermore, we are promoting schemes that allow SMEs to build their own credit history in order to more easily access financing and sustain their growth, by promoting factoring with direct collection to the SME rather than to the large intermediary company.

The second front is credit under better conditions. Through agreements with institutions such as Banregio and Santander, to which we want to add a couple more very soon, we have brought financing alternatives closer to our members, which already total nearly 500 million pesos in applications with preferential rates and commissions. At this Expo, we will also celebrate the signing of a new agreement and we will continue working to expand these options to more companies.

The third front is preparation. Because access to resources yields more when one knows how to manage them, alongside Nacional Financiera we have given financial literacy workshops to more than 500 business owners, on topics such as factoring, productive chains, corporate governance, and financial management.

Here at the Expo, we have banking institutions and financial organizations to directly assist companies. Because when an SME resolves its liquidity, it stops operating with anxiety and starts operating with vision: it takes on new orders, invests in its people, and dares to take the next step by investing in its growth.

Another decisive factor for the competitiveness of SMEs is reducing the administrative burden they face. We recognize the progress made, but we also know that regulatory simplification must be an ongoing, measurable agenda that is increasingly aligned with the operational reality of businesses. At the federal level, we are working with the Digital Transformation Agency, the Ministry of Labor, and the Tax Administration Service to identify procedures that can be eliminated, simplified, or digitized.

At the state level, we recognize the progress represented by NLínea, the state government’s digital service portal, which brings together more than 300 digitized procedures and, through a single digital file, reduces the requirements that businesses and citizens must submit by approximately 30%. At CAINTRA, we have supported this effort by participating in its launch, promoting its use among our members, and collaborating on the identification of priority procedures for its next phase.

We also celebrate initiatives such as the Zero Closures program, which prioritizes support and regularization over penalties for MSMEs. These types of efforts strengthen trust, facilitate compliance, and allow businesses to focus more time and energy on producing, selling, and growing.

At the municipal level, together with other business organizations, we are working with Monterrey and other municipalities to advance the simplification and digitalization of bureaucratic procedures. We are taking the first steps, but we believe there can be significant progress in the coming months if we maintain an agenda of collaboration, follow-up, and results.

Mexico has a historic opportunity to strengthen its productive chains, increase domestic content, and consolidate its position as a competitive industrial platform. But that opportunity will only be sustainable if SMEs participate, integrate, and grow alongside large companies.

Mexico's industrial future is not built solely on large investments. It is also built with stronger local suppliers, family businesses that incorporate technology, entrepreneurs who professionalize, and SMEs capable of competing in increasingly demanding value chains.

From CAINTRA, we will continue promoting that agenda with programs such as +PYMEX and Sponsor a SME, as well as with training, mentoring, financing, and business networking initiatives. We will do so with the conviction that supporting an SME is supporting employment, social mobility, innovation, and economic development for our communities. To the SME business owners who join us today: Expo PYME is yours and for you. Together, build alliances, knock on doors, listen to new ideas, seek potential clients, and dare to grow.

To the authorities, financial institutions, buying companies, allied organizations, and partners of CAINTRA, I thank you for your commitment to this important agenda for the state and the entire country.

Thank you very much.