Pemex Debt to Suppliers Nearly Quadruples 2018 Level

Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) closed on September 30, 2026 with a debt of 414,218 million pesos to suppliers and contractors, 19.9% below the 517,098 million pesos recorded in the same month of 2025, according to figures from the oil company's quarterly report disseminated by El CEO and Expansión.

The longer-term comparison flips the sign of the data. Against the 118,044 million pesos of the third quarter of 2018, the current balance equals nearly four times that amount, according to the same report. Expansión notes that the debt is 5.1% lower than the 436,704 million with which 2025 closed, while the company's financial debt fell 8.9% to 77,600 million dollars. For the sector's supply chain, which provides maintenance, drilling and construction work to the state oil company, the level of the debt defines liquidity, employment and contract continuity.

On the investor call, chief financial officer Elizabeth González indicated that as of the end of September, suppliers and contractors received payments of more than 370,000 million pesos, drawn from own cash flow and the investment financing program. René Orozco, deputy director of Accounting and Tax, said the plan envisions a scheme similar to the one applied at the close of the previous year to provide liquidity to suppliers. Integralia consulting partner Carlos Ramírez calculated the balance at 23,217 million dollars, nearly four times the 2018 figure. The industry group has already reported impacts: Rafael Espino, president of the Mexican Association of Oil Service Companies (Amespac), cited a loss of 5,000 direct jobs and some 30,000 indirect jobs among its members two years ago. Javier Zepeda, president of the Association of SMEs in Mexico, said nonpayment pushes small companies to seek new financing to cover their operations.

The next reference point will be the balance at the close of 2026 and the details of the payment scheme Pemex negotiates with development banks. The specialists consulted by El CEO noted that any new restructuring involving deferred payments requires consulting suppliers.

This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.