Miguel Gallardo Guerra

Practice Areas

Miguel Gallardo Guerra is a founding partner of bgbg, a prominent Mexican law firm recognized for delivering strategic, business-oriented legal services across key sectors of the economy. As head of the firm’s Banking, Finance, Fintech, and Compliance practices, Miguel has built a distinguished track record advising leading financial institutions, fintech innovators, and corporate clients on complex regulatory and transactional matters in Mexico’s rapidly evolving financial sector.

Banking and Financial Regulation

Miguel possesses deep knowledge of Mexico’s financial regulatory framework and advises a wide range of domestic and international financial institutions, including banks, investment firms, fintech entities, insurance companies, and multiple purposes non-banking financial institutions. His legal counsel covers both transactional and regulatory aspects, positioning him as a trusted advisor to clients navigating Mexico’s financial services landscape.

He regularly supports clients with:

(i) Authorization processes before the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) and other financial regulators.

(i) Structuring and launching regulated financial products and services.

(iii) Ongoing regulatory compliance with Mexican financial laws and international standards.

(iv) Financial entity governance, reporting, and risk management obligations.

(v) Legal audits, internal investigations, and regulatory inspections.

Miguel is particularly adept at assisting foreign financial institutions entering the Mexican market, offering tailored legal strategies that align with local compliance expectations while accommodating global policies and standards.

Finance and Lending Transactions.

In the area of finance and lending, Miguel represents borrowers, lenders, and investors in a variety of structured finance transactions, including syndicated loans, secured lending, cross-border financings, and project finance. His experience includes negotiating complex loan agreements, security packages, and intercreditor arrangements in both domestic and international contexts.

He advises on:

(i) Corporate finance and acquisition finance.

(ii) Secured and unsecured credit facilities.

(iii) Real estate and infrastructure financing.

(iv) Regulatory limitations on foreign investment and capital movement.

(v) Structuring collateral and enforcement strategies in Mexico.

Miguel brings a pragmatic approach to every transaction, balancing legal precision with commercial viability. His work is marked by close attention to detail, strong negotiation skills, and deep awareness of regulatory risks and compliance issues.

Fintech and Innovation

Miguel is widely recognized as a pioneer in Mexico’s fintech legal landscape. He advises technology-driven financial institutions and startups on the regulatory implications of their business models and supports them in navigating the authorization process under Mexico’s Fintech Law (Ley para Regular las Instituciones de Tecnología Financiera).

His fintech advisory services include:

(i) Licensing of Electronic Payment Fund Institutions (IFPEs) and Crowdfunding Institutions (IFCs).

(ii) AML compliance, cybersecurity, and KYC protocols tailored to fintech platforms.

(iii) Structuring digital financial services, neobanks, and embedded finance solutions.

(iv) Cross-border data protection and regulatory alignment for global fintech players.

(v) Partnership agreements with banks and financial institutions.

Miguel’s strength lies in his ability to bridge the gap between regulation and innovation. He helps fintech companies operate within legal boundaries while remaining agile and competitive in a fast-changing marketplace. His role as legal counsel often extends from initial regulatory analysis to full-scale operational launch and expansion.

Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

As head of the firm’s Compliance and AML practice, Miguel is a leading expert in helping companies meet their regulatory obligations and minimize legal risk. He provides strategic legal advice on the development and implementation of internal compliance programs for regulated and non-regulated entities alike.

His services include:

(i) Design and implementation of risk-based compliance and AML programs.

(ii) Advisory on obligations under the Federal Law for the Prevention and Identification of Operations with Illicit Resources (LFPIORPI).

(iii) Compliance with reporting requirements before the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF).

(iv) Internal investigations and remediation plans for compliance breaches.

(v) Compliance training for corporate personnel and governance bodies.

(vi) Drafting codes of conduct, internal policies, and whistleblowing protocols.

Miguel also works with clients on global compliance alignment, ensuring that Mexican subsidiaries or branches of multinational companies uphold both local and international standards, including FATF recommendations, U.S. FCPA, and EU AML directives.

His client base spans financial services, real estate, retail, telecommunications, and other sectors where regulatory scrutiny is increasing and compliance programs are essential to sustainable operations.

Cross-Practice Integration and Strategic Advisory

What distinguishes Miguel is his ability to integrate banking, finance, fintech, and compliance expertise into a holistic legal strategy. He frequently advises on transactions and projects that require interdisciplinary legal skills, such as:

(i) Launching digital wallets and cross-border remittance services.

(ii) Structuring capital markets deals with embedded compliance frameworks.

(iii) Advising on payment infrastructure partnerships between traditional banks and fintechs.

(iv) Conducting regulatory due diligence for fintech M&A and joint ventures.

International Perspective and Client-Centered Approach

With strong command of both Mexican law and international financial regulations, Miguel frequently represents multinational companies, global financial institutions, and cross-border investors. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and his practice regularly involves coordination with foreign counsel, multinational compliance teams, and international regulators.

Clients praise Miguel for his responsiveness, strategic mindset, and ability to explain complex legal and regulatory issues in clear, actionable terms. His focus on long-term relationships and practical solutions has earned him a reputation as a trusted legal partner to clients navigating regulatory change, market entry, and financial innovation.

Career

Projects regularly undertaken by Miguel Gallardo-Guerra are mainly focused on banking, compliance, fintech, anti-money laundering, and finance matters, providing services to Mexican and foreign financial institutions, such as financial groups, banks, brokerage firms, securities brokers, fintech entities, insurance companies, investment bankers, mutual funds, non-bank financial institutions, and representative offices.

Miguel Gallardo-Guerra has been certified by the National Banking and Securities Commission as a compliance officer and anti-money laundering expert, by the Superior Court of Justice in Mexico City as a Certified Translator (English - Spanish - English), as well as by the National Insurance and Bonding Commission as an insurance contract expert. He has also been appointed as a member of several boards of directors, an external compliance officer of several banking and financial institutions, and a law professor at the Ibero-American University School of Law.

Professional Memberships

He was appointed Latin American Regional Forum Liaison Officer of the Banking Law Committee at the International Bar Association (“IBA”) for the period 2023 to 2024. The law firm bgbg is the only Mexican law firm currently appointed as part of the committee directors.

He is member of the Bar Association in Mexico of Corporate Lawyers.

Publications

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Mexico Chapter. Page 207

Personal

Leading partner promoting Probono work, which has increased significantly during the last 4 years and has become institutionalized inside the firm. There is a very active committee and bgbg is a leading firm in Mexico when talking about Probono.

We have a system that records all of our probono cases just as it is done with other clients. This allows us to have data on the hours worked per lawyer, which also allows us to properly measure the growth we have in the Probono work.