MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - HSBC's (>> HSBC Holdings plc) Mexico unit on Friday named former Santander banker Nuno Matos as chief executive officer, replacing Luis Pena.

Matos, who worked at Spain's Banco Santander (>> Banco Santander, S.A.) for 20 years, joined HSBC in March, and will take the helm of its Mexican operations on Jan. 1, the bank said in a statement .

Pena, who became HSBC Mexico CEO in May 2008 after resigning as chief of local financial group Banorte (>> Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV), will become HSBC's vice chairman of Global Banking and Markets for Latin America, according to the statement.

In 2012, the bank was slapped with a $27.5 million (£18.4 million) fine by Mexico's banking watchdog over a money-laundering scandal.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Matthew Lewis)