Agustin Carstens, the governor of the Bank of Mexico, will leave his post next year to take up the top job at the Bank for International Settlements.
His colleagues said the offer reflects the regard in which Cartsens is held by the international financial community.
In 2011, Carstens was in the running for the presidency of the International Monetary Fund but narrowly lost out to Christine Lagarde of France.
Carstens has won widespread praise for his deft handling of Mexico’s macroeconomic policy.
There are some fears, however, that his departure may cause some nervousness in financial markets at a time when the U.S./Mexico relationship is likely to be tested during the initial months of the Donald Trump presidency.
The peso lost ground slightly after the announcement that Carstens was to leave his role at the nation’s Central Bank.