In the decade of the 80's Petróleos Mexicanos was a Decentralized Public Organism subject to the regulations of Parastatal Companies; This circumstance prevented it from adjusting its performance to the best international practices. Faced with the challenge of becoming a Company capable of interacting equitably with other actors in the international market, it was determined the need to have a corporate structure in accordance with the importance of its foreign trade activities, which would provide the necessary protection mechanisms, allow it to take advantage of the different participation schemes at the international level and that, at the same time, provides the necessary flexibility to adapt to the circumstances of the national and international market.

For this purpose, Petróleos Mexicanos incorporated private companies both in Mexico and abroad, to carry out business operations independently and at the same time isolate risks, acting through Affiliate Companies with their own legal personality, thus emerging the PMI Affiliate Companies.​

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