Citi, Ant International pilot AI-enabled forecasting solution

Singapore: In a move poised to redefine currency risk management in the travel industry, Citi and Ant International have announced the pilot of a new AI-powered forecasting solution designed to streamline foreign exchange (FX) risk for airline clients.

The initiative integrates Ant International’s advanced Falcon Time-Series Transformer (TST) Model with Citi’s Fixed FX Rates solution to help businesses selling online in multiple currencies lock in favorable exchange rates. The partnership aims to reduce hedging costs and improve cashflow forecasting accuracy—key concerns for airline and travel companies navigating volatile currency markets.

The Falcon TST Model, built with close to two billion parameters, utilizes deep-learning architecture to analyze vast historical datasets. It offers predictive accuracy exceeding 90% in some cases, enabling businesses to make more informed decisions around FX exposure. 

Kelvin Li, General Manager of Platform Tech at Ant International, added, “This marks the first industry-specific application of our Falcon TST Model with a bank partner. The initial success we’ve seen is just the beginning—we’re excited to scale this solution to support more industries and clients globally.”

The model has already delivered tangible benefits in early testing—one major Asian airline reported a 30% reduction in FX hedging costs through the solution.

Citi’s Fixed FX Rates solution, widely adopted across sectors such as e-commerce, travel, and aviation, supports over 70 currencies. By locking in exchange rates for a defined period, the solution helps businesses avoid the uncertainty of currency fluctuations, providing greater pricing and budgeting stability.

Sam Hewson, Global Head of FX Sales at Citi, said, “This innovation reflects Citi’s ongoing commitment to co-developing tech-enabled solutions that solve real challenges for our clients. By combining our award-winning FX tools with Ant International’s forecasting expertise, we are enabling greater financial control and cost efficiency for our airline partners.”

As global air travel rebounds and digital commerce continues to grow, this joint initiative offers a timely and sophisticated approach to managing FX volatility—positioning airlines and other high-volume payment processors for more resilient, data-driven financial operations.