Barnote SWIFT Code: MENOMXMT

Banorte SWIFT Code: MENOMXMT

Banorte's SWIFT code is MENOMXMT — the identifier used by international banks to route wire transfers to Banco Mercantil del Norte (Banorte) in Mexico.

What Is the Banorte SWIFT Code?

The Banorte SWIFT code is MENOMXMT. It is the primary SWIFT/BIC code for Banco Mercantil del Norte S.A. — known commercially as Banorte — one of the largest domestically owned banks in Mexico. You may also see it written as MENOMXMTXXX — the XXX suffix indicates no specific branch, and both formats are accepted by international sending banks.

CLABE Number: Required for All Banorte Wire Transfers

As with all Mexican banks, wiring to Banorte requires a CLABE — Clave Bancaria Estandarizada — an 18-digit standardized interbank code. Providing an account number alone will not work. Without a valid CLABE, Banorte will reject the incoming wire.

How Banorte CLABEs are structured:

• Digits 1–3: Bank code — Banorte's is 072
• Digits 4–6: City code for the branch location
• Digits 7–17: Account number
• Digit 18: Control digit (a mathematically derived checksum)

A Banorte CLABE looks like: 072 180 00123456789 8

How to get the CLABE. The recipient must provide their CLABE directly. It is available through Banorte's online banking portal (Banorte en Línea), on account statements, and through the Banorte mobile app under account details. The recipient should copy it from one of these sources — not write it from memory — because a single transposed digit in the control position will cause the wire to fail validation before it posts.

How to verify a CLABE. The 18th digit is a checksum that can be mathematically verified. If you regularly send wires to Mexican accounts and want to validate CLABEs before initiating transfers, CLABE verification tools are available online and can catch transcription errors before you submit the wire.

How to Wire Money from the US to Banorte

To send an international wire from the U.S. to a Banorte account, provide your bank with the following:

• Recipient name: Full legal name or registered business name, exactly as it appears on the Banorte account
• CLABE: 18-digit CLABE number (from recipient — required)
• SWIFT/BIC code: MENOMXMT
• Bank name: Banco Mercantil del Norte S.A. (Banorte)
• Bank address: Prolongación Reforma 1230, Colonia Cruz Manca Santa Fe, 05349 Ciudad de México, Mexico
• Transfer currency: USD or MXN
• Purpose of transfer: Specific description of the commercial basis for the payment

Mexico's financial intelligence unit (UIF) requires that all incoming international wire transfers declare a purpose. Use specific, documentable language rather than generic entries — "payment for marketing services per contract dated [date]" or "contractor fee — invoice [number]" rather than "payment" or "services." A vague purpose is one of the most common triggers for compliance holds on incoming wires at Banorte.

USD vs MXN to Banorte

Wiring USD to a Banorte MXN account. Banorte converts incoming USD to Mexican pesos on receipt using its own exchange rate, which includes a spread above the mid-market rate. The recipient receives MXN at Banorte's rate on the day the wire is processed — the sender controls the USD amount sent, but not the MXN amount the recipient receives. For contracts denominated in pesos where the recipient needs a specific MXN amount, conversion rate variability creates reconciliation friction.

Wiring USD to a Banorte USD account. Banorte offers dollar-denominated accounts for business customers with cross-border payment needs. Wiring USD to a USD-denominated account avoids forced conversion — the recipient holds USD and converts on their own schedule and at a rate of their choosing. For U.S. businesses making recurring payments to Mexican contractors or suppliers, confirming whether the recipient holds a Banorte USD account is worth the one-time effort.

Wiring MXN from the U.S. Your U.S. bank converts USD to MXN before sending. Availability varies by institution — not all U.S. banks support direct MXN transfers — and the conversion rate your bank applies may be less favorable than Banorte's. Confirm MXN wire availability with your bank before attempting.

Banorte vs BBVA Mexico for Business Transfers

Both Banorte and BBVA Mexico are top-tier options for receiving international business payments in Mexico. The differences matter depending on your volume, relationship structure, and recipient preferences.

Domestic footprint. Banorte is Mexico's largest domestically owned bank and has broad branch presence across the country, including strong coverage outside of major metros. For recipients in central or northern Mexico — where Banorte has historically concentrated — branch access is a practical advantage. BBVA Mexico has wider overall reach but a stronger concentration in urban markets.

USD account availability. Both banks offer dollar-denominated business accounts for clients with cross-border payment needs. BBVA Mexico's international infrastructure is marginally more developed given its Spanish parent group's global banking relationships, but Banorte's USD account products are competitive for standard business use cases.

Processing times. Both banks process incoming international wires within one to two business days of the sending bank releasing funds under normal circumstances. First-time transfers from new international senders take longer at both institutions while compliance review is completed.

FX rates. Neither bank publishes its exact FX spread for incoming wire conversions. In practice, both apply a spread above the mid-market rate that is typical of large retail and commercial banks — not as tight as dedicated FX transfer services, but comparable between the two institutions. For high-volume transfers, negotiating rates directly with your recipient's bank relationship manager is possible for both.

The deciding factor for most businesses. If your Mexican contractors or vendors already bank with Banorte, wire to Banorte. If they bank with BBVA Mexico, wire to BBVA Mexico. The operational differences between the two institutions are unlikely to outweigh the friction of asking recipients to open new accounts. The CLABE and SWIFT requirements are identical in structure — the only codes that change are the bank code within the CLABE and the SWIFT identifier itself.

Common Mistakes When Wiring to Banorte

Using an account number instead of the CLABE. Banorte's wire processing system requires the 18-digit CLABE. A standard account number — even a correct one — will result in rejection. This is the most common and most preventable error in U.S.-to-Mexico wire transfers. Always confirm the CLABE before initiating.

Using the wrong SWIFT code. MENOMXMT is Banorte's code. If you have wire instructions on file for both Banorte and BBVA Mexico recipients and the codes get mixed up — BCMRMXMM in a Banorte instruction, or MENOMXMT in a BBVA Mexico instruction — the wire will fail. Label all wire instruction documents explicitly by bank and recipient.

Missing or vague transfer purpose. Mexico's UIF compliance requirements apply to all incoming international wires. Banorte may hold transfers that list a generic purpose pending additional documentation from the recipient. Specific, invoice-linked language resolves this proactively.

CLABE control digit error. The 18th digit validates the preceding 17. A recipient who transcribes their CLABE from memory — transposing two digits or misremembering a number — may unknowingly give you an invalid CLABE. When a wire is rejected for this reason, it typically takes several business days to identify the cause, reverse the transfer, and reattempt. Use CLABEs sourced from Banorte's online banking portal or official documentation only.

Currency designation error. Initiating a wire in MXN when the recipient holds a USD-denominated Banorte account — or in USD when the account is MXN-only — causes processing complications. Confirm account currency with the recipient before the first transfer.

How Slash Helps

U.S. businesses making recurring payments to Mexican vendors, contractors, or employees deal with the same friction on every transfer: CLABE lookups for each payee, FX variability that makes reconciliation inexact, wire fees that reduce net payment amounts, and bank statements that reflect transactions days after they happen.

Slash is built for U.S. businesses managing cross-border operations. For Banorte account holders who can accept card payments, Slash virtual cards let you pay directly without a wire — no CLABE, no correspondent routing, no MXN conversion at Banorte's rate. For wire-dependent payments, Slash's real-time spend tracking records every transaction at initiation, categorized by vendor and currency, so your finance team has a current view of outstanding and completed payments without waiting for bank statements. Per-vendor card controls let you issue spending-limited cards for specific Mexican contractors, and transparent FX rates mean the cost of every cross-border transaction is known before you approve it — not calculated after the fact.