Ashley has expertise across all aspects of a cross-border transaction having spent over 15 years in a wide variety of FX industry roles in both Europe and the North America. He saw a need within his extensive global investor network to simplify the way cross-border transactions were handled, and is often engaged to speak on foreign exchange strategies and the economy.
Prior to founding Deaglo, Ashley was a Director for 10 years at AFEX one of the largest providers of foreign exchange payments in the world. There he was responsible for the acquisition, management and maintenance of corporate, institutional and high net worth clients. Ashley led the East coast region of AFEX and whilst under his watch, the team doubled revenues annually and developed an expertise in a variety of industries, including alternative investments.
Company: Deaglo
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Ashley Groves: I’ve spent over 15 years in the Foreign Exchange (FX) industry, and I’ve seen firsthand how outdated and inefficient many of the processes are. FX is still an archaic space, heavily dependent on legacy systems and opaque practices that haven’t kept up with modern technology. This lack of transparency and innovation is what pushed me to start Deaglo.
I founded Deaglo to disrupt the FX landscape and bring it into the 21st century by using cutting-edge AI and machine learning. Our goal is simple but transformative: to create a more transparent and objective-driven FX environment. We’ve developed advanced analytical tools that help the world’s largest investors better manage and deploy capital in both established and emerging markets.
Today, Deaglo Technologies is laser-focused on providing Financial Institutions with top-tier FX solutions. By partnering with us, they not only enhance their own strategies but also contribute to our broader mission of creating a fairer, more transparent global FX market.
Originally from England, I moved to New York in 2011, where I met my wife. Now, we live in New Jersey with our two kids. When I’m not working or spending time with family, you’ll usually find me on the pickleball court!
Can you share with us your journey towards integrating AI into your business operations?
Ashley Groves: AI has been at the core of Deaglo’s DNA since day one. When we launched, the FX industry was (and still is) dominated by traditional methods. We saw an opportunity to flip this on its head by harnessing Data Science and Machine Learning to create transparency and improve decision-making.
After plenty of testing and trials, we finally created a consistent and accurate model that would be the foundation of our platform. Our first big breakthrough began helping clients visualize their FX exposures and potential outcomes in ways they hadn’t seen before, truly changing the industry. By applying predictive modeling to FX hedging strategies, we gave investors a powerful tool to assess the probability of success across various market scenarios. This level of insight didn’t just help clients manage risk—it gave them the confidence to raise and deploy over $3 billion in capital into challenging markets like Brazil and South Africa.
But we didn’t stop there. As AI continued to evolve, so did our ambition. We now integrate cutting-edge technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs), Chat UX, and AI-driven generative reporting into our solutions. These innovations aren’t just about keeping up with tech trends—they’re about simplifying and demystifying the process of buying and selling complex financial instruments.
However, one thing has stayed the same: our mission to make FX transactions more transparent, efficient, and accessible. By streamlining these processes with AI, we empower our clients to make faster, more informed decisions, leading to better outcomes all around.
What specific areas of your business have been most impacted by AI, and how?
Ashley Groves: We’re a lean team here, and we’ve all embraced tools like OpenAI, Hugging Face, and EvoML, which have been real game-changers for us.
Personally, I use AI every day, whether it’s for summarizing articles, proofreading, or creating document templates. It’s truly a powerful tool, and we all believe that at Deaglo, which is why we’ve implemented it in many of our business processes.
What excites us most about LLMs is their ability to simplify complex concepts into clear, easy-to-understand language at incredible speed—something crucial for our client base. In the world of hedging and trading, one of the biggest challenges is understanding the impact of decisions. Traders want that clarity, but they don’t always have the skills, tools, or time to run detailed analyses. Now, AI bridges that gap, giving users the confidence to make informed choices quickly and effectively. What used to take us days with complex spreadsheets that constantly crashed now takes just minutes.
But the impact goes beyond our business—it also benefits our clients and their clients. Financial Institutions can now make more tailored hedging and trade recommendations, meaning end clients are more willing to buy, ultimately driving more revenue for our financial institution clients.
How are you ensuring ethical considerations are taken into account in your use of AI?
Ashley Groves: Deaglo’s platform has been built on neutral, transparent mathematical models from day one. This means that, mathematically speaking, the outputs are true, verifiable, and auditable—you can apply the same parameters and reach the same conclusions.
Our clients trust this level of quality and have come to expect it from our platform. The use of new AI tools follows the same principle. We demand the highest transparency and value from all our features, utilizing best-in-class tools where appropriate. Non-deterministic large language models show great promise for improving human interaction, but that goes without saying there are still many cases where we will continue to rely on traditional neural networks.
What advice would you give to other CEOs looking to integrate AI into their business?
Ashley Groves: My advice to CEOs looking to integrate AI into their business is simple: Do it now. Innovation doesn’t wait for anyone and companies that embrace AI-driven solutions early will reap the most benefits, whether it be financial or in terms of improved efficiency. Meanwhile, those who delay may find themselves struggling to compete with new players entering their space.
For example, some might argue that AI isn’t affecting jobs, but that’s not entirely accurate—AI is reshaping the work landscape as we speak. For instance, Klarna reduced its workforce from 5,000 to 3,800, citing their AI bot’s ability to perform the work of 700 people. This technology presents a significant opportunity to run more efficient, profitable businesses, potentially leading to global and product expansion and new hiring needs.
However, it’s crucial to recognize that implementing AI can significantly disrupt traditional business models. The real challenge will be how businesses evolve and adapt once AI becomes fully integrated into their business.
Here are some steps to start integrating this technology:
1. Explore AI tools – Consider subscribing to an LLM. I use both Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, and I find they help me organize my thoughts and communicate better with my colleagues.
2. Identify high-impact use cases – Are you falling behind on your product roadmap or overwhelmed with client requests? Assess your biggest costs and time sinks—could an AI tool assist?
3. Create a culture of AI empowerment – Educate your team and encourage them to experiment with AI tools in a supportive environment.
4. Integrate AI tools into processes – Implement tools like ChatSpot by HubSpot for your CRM and Deaglo for creating FX reports.
5. Understand your role in the AI ecosystem – Stay updated on the latest developments in the LLM space and their capabilities. Consider how to protect your business and build a moat around your unique advantages.
How do you see AI evolving in your industry over the next 5 years?
Ashley Groves: This builds nicely on our earlier discussion. Over the next five years, AI is set to play an even bigger role in decision-making within the FX and financial services industries. With advances in machine learning, we’ll see more sophisticated predictive models. AI will also push further automation in trading and risk management, making things more efficient and cutting down on human error. But with all these advances, we’ll need strong ethical guidelines to use AI responsibly.
Looking ahead, the way people interact with AI-driven solutions will change a lot too. Right now, we’re mostly seeing this happen through established platforms like Chrome widgets or Microsoft tools. But in the future, people will want to interact with their platforms in ways that feel more “human-like”, for example, through chat, voice, and eventually even biosensors, similar to what companies like Neuralink are exploring.