The Silent Power of the Social Economy Between Mexico and Colombia

Mexico and Colombia are entering a phase in which the social economy has moved beyond the margins to become a strategic pillar. This is no longer just about cooperatives, mutuals, or community savings institutions as mechanisms of social containment, but about an economic architecture capable of sustaining employment, integrating territories, and adding productive depth at a time when Latin America is once again facing modest growth and insufficient investment. The World Bank recently adjusted the region’s growth forecast to 2.1%, below the 2.4% recorded in 2025, while investment remains under pressure from high interest rates, weak external demand, and geopolitical uncertainty.

Within this context, Mexico–Colombia cooperation carries greater weight than is often acknowledged. Mexico is navigating a complex environment shaped by trade uncertainty with the United States and the need to reignite growth while preserving macroeconomic stability; the OECD projects an expansion of 1.2%. Colombia, meanwhile, maintains a growth outlook of 2.8%, although private investment remains constrained and fiscal pressures persist amid political transition. Together, they represent complementary strengths: Mexico brings manufacturing scale and direct access to North America, while Colombia offers an Andean and Caribbean platform with stronger momentum in consumption, services, and financial inclusion solutions.

The social economy can serve as the bridge between these two models. In Mexico, the National Registry of Cooperatives reports more than 18,000 cooperative societies and approximately 8.9 million members. In Colombia, the solidarity-based financial sector increased its surplus by 37% in 2025, signaling stronger operational capacity across cooperatives, mutuals, and employee funds. These are not marginal figures; they reflect a broad social base, territorial reach, and the ability to provide financial intermediation where traditional banking remains limited or expensive.

More importantly, this cooperation can no longer be understood solely within a regional framework. Mexico must diversify its supply chains and development narrative toward partners in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Colombia, in turn, needs to scale productivity and better connect its popular economy with global value chains. This is where bilateral coordination becomes institutional strategy. In 2025, both governments agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, food security, health self-sufficiency, and technical exchange. If executed effectively, this agenda could translate into binational clusters in agribusiness, community tourism, care economy services, light manufacturing, and digital platforms with both local impact and export potential.

There is also a strong academic foundation supporting this direction. Research from Tecnológico de Monterrey highlights that financial inclusion has a more significant impact on poverty reduction than on GDP growth in emerging economies, with cooperative and financial infrastructure playing a decisive role. At the same time, studies from UNAM emphasize that cooperative education is not merely ideological but essential for strengthening public policy, civic participation, and territorially rooted enterprises. In practical terms, without governance, training, and professionalization, the social economy cannot scale; with them, it can become a serious economic policy instrument.

Colombia is already offering a technological signal that Mexico would do well to observe. The launch of Bre-B, the central bank’s interoperable instant payment system, aims to reduce transaction friction, expand access, and lower costs for low-value operations. For cooperatives, small businesses, and community organizations, this translates into faster formalization and improved financial traceability. If Mexico aligns its cooperative ecosystem, social finance, and territorial programs with digital payments, credit, and data infrastructure, cooperation with Colombia could evolve from diplomatic exchange into applied institutional innovation.

At its core, this is a political question. In a world where the United States is tightening trade signals, Europe is rethinking supply chains, Asia is accelerating industrial technology, and Africa is emerging as a new logistical and demographic frontier, Mexico cannot rely solely on export manufacturing, nor can Colombia depend on extractive industries and traditional services. A well-designed social economy—one that incorporates productivity standards, transparency, and financing—offers something more valuable: a way to distribute value more equitably without sacrificing competitiveness. That is the kind of cooperation that strengthens territories and enhances the credibility of local governments.

The challenge ahead is clear. Mexico must streamline its institutional framework for cooperatives, reduce fragmentation, and integrate them into public procurement, technology platforms, and industrial value chains. Colombia will need to manage fiscal and political pressures without slowing the modernization of its solidarity sector or undermining investor confidence. Both countries require comparable metrics, blended finance mechanisms, shared digital platforms, and an economic diplomacy capable of positioning this agenda across their global partnerships.

If they fail, the social economy will remain a well-intentioned narrative. If they succeed, Mexico and Colombia could demonstrate that inclusion is not only a social objective but also a strategy for economic power.

We want to hear from you. At interAlcaldes, we invite you to share your perspective: can the social economy become a real engine of international competitiveness for Mexico and Colombia, or is it still confined to an assistance-based logic? Join the conversation and leave your comments.

Written by: Editorial

#SocialEconomy #MexicoColombia #Cooperatives #RegionalDevelopment #InterAlcaldes