How Sealord Uses Fluenccy To Strengthen FX Decisions And Automation

Client overview

Sealord Group is a leading Australasian seafood business specialising in deepwater fishing, seafood processing and aquaculture.

The Group employs around 1,220 people in the peak Hoki season in New Zealand in sustainable deepwater fishing and processing, and 185 in Australia in aquaculture.

Sealord exports over 90 per cent of its catch to 40 countries with revenue more than NZD 500 million with revenue in four major international currencies.

That means large and constant foreign currency exposure across both export sales and salmon aquaculture operations in Australia.

As Group Treasurer, John Wang is responsible for managing Sealord’s FX, interest rate, debt and commodity risk – effectively all of the business’s financial market exposures.

The challenge: big exposures, simple tools, growing complexity

Sealord’s FX book is sizeable enough to be material to earnings, but like many corporates, the team prefers to keep things simple.

Before engaging with Fluenccy, Sealord:

• Hedged mainly with forwards only, on a 0–2 year forecast basis.
• Sealord Treasury manages the FX earning volatility centrally.
• Operated within a board-approved policy range that still left the treasurer with significant discretion on timing – and the pressure that goes with those decisions.
• Had previously used an independent Treasury advisor, but removed the service during a cost review.
  

In John’s words, the company wasn’t looking for exotic products – just better support to make confident decisions inside a simple, forward-based framework.

At the same time, like many mid-to-large corporates, Sealord was feeling the weight of:

• Market noise – lots of brokers and providers contacting the CFO and CEO, all with similar “we’ll save you money” messages.
• Human bias – it’s hard for any person to call a sharp move against the crowd, even if their research suggests it.
• Manual process – FX decisions were made and tracked largely by the small treasury team, without automation or a systematised, data-led process.
  

Sealord didn’t need another market-maker or broker. They needed a different perspective and a smarter process.

Why Sealord chose Fluenccy

Fluenccy came onto Sealord’s radar alongside a wave of other FX approaches – but stood out because it wasn’t trying to be another dealer.

Instead, Fluenccy was positioned as:

An advisory, automation and software platform that could sit alongside existing bank relationships – not replace them.

A few things caught John’s attention:

• AI-driven forecasting and pricing signals that were independent of bank research and human emotion.
• The ability for a machine to make bolder, data-led calls (for example, flagging downside in NZD when most commentary was bullish) – providing a genuine second opinion.
• The potential to formalise FX decision-making into a repeatable process, rather than an ad-hoc judgement call each time.
  

To test it, John began tracking Fluenccy’s weekly AI emails against real market outcomes. Over time, he saw a “reasonable hit rate” and several calls where Fluenccy’s signals picked the right direction when consensus views were wrong – enough to justify a deeper look at the software itself.

The solution: AI insight plus automation, on top of existing policy

Sealord started working with Fluenccy as a way to augment, not overhaul, their existing risk policy.

1. Independent AI “co-pilot” for FX strategy

Fluenccy’s AI models now act as a co-pilot for the treasury team, generating data-driven views on likely currency ranges and turning them into practical rate levels that can be used in hedging and limit setting.

This gives Sealord:

• A second, unemotional lens on the FX exposures.
• Clear reference points when deciding whether to add, reduce or roll hedges inside policy bands.
• Confidence to consider moves that might be uncomfortable for a human forecaster to recommend publicly.
  

2. A structured, system-based process

Rather than relying solely on one or two people juggling spreadsheets and bank commentary, Sealord can use Fluenccy to:

• Visualise exposures and potential hedge paths.
• Embed AI-generated levels and guidance into its hedging rhythm.
• Reduce key-person dependency and support better internal conversations with the CFO and board.
  

As John suggests, the real power is turning FX management into a repeatable, systematised process, driven by machine logic but overseen by experienced humans.

3. Platform, not just price

Crucially, Fluenccy is not competing with Sealord’s banks as a market-maker. It’s a software and automation layer that can plug into existing banking relationships, broker arrangements or payment providers.

This made it easier for Sealord to trial and adopt Fluenccy without disrupting current counterparties or facilities.

The benefits: better perspective, better process, better use of people

For Sealord, the value of Fluenccy shows up in three main ways:

More informed hedging decisions

• AI signals broaden the range of scenarios considered.
• The team can challenge consensus views with objective data.
• Forward hedging decisions can be timed with greater confidence.
  

Reduced pressure on internal teams

• Treasury and finance don’t have to be full-time FX forecasters.
• Fluenccy provides a standing, always-on source of analysis.
• The system becomes an “always available advisor”, especially useful when resources are lean.
  

A scalable model for mid-sized corporates

• John sees particular value for companies with meaningful FX turnover (e.g. tens of millions of dollars a year) that can’t justify a full-time professional treasurer.
• For these businesses, Fluenccy can provide structure and guidance that’s “definitely better than having no expertise at all,” while remaining cost-effective.
  

In John’s words

While John is too modest to offer marketing slogans, his view of Fluenccy’s role is clear: it’s a unique, software-driven partner that’s worth paying attention to in a crowded FX landscape.

Among the many brokers and market-makers that contact Sealord, he describes Fluenccy as the only one different enough to warrant a serious look – precisely because it focuses on intelligence and automation, not just price.

Looking ahead

Sealord continues to refine how they use Fluenccy alongside their forecast-hedging programme, and the team is actively engaged in shaping future product enhancements.

For Fluenccy, the partnership demonstrates how AI-driven FX tools can coexist with conservative, policy-led hedging, giving treasurers and CFOs a stronger foundation for decisions – without forcing them to rip out what already works.

For other exporters and importers with similar FX profiles, Sealord’s experience shows that the question isn’t “forwards or AI?” – it’s how you use both together to get the most out of your existing policy, people and counterparties.