How Digitalisation is Revolutionising Commodity Trading: Insights for 2025
From tackling supply chain disruptions and climate challenges to leveraging AI and data-driven strategies, the energy and commodity trading sectors are undergoing a seismic shift. Paula Freire, Group Chief Information Officer at Ameropa, shares her perspectives on the standout trends of 2024, her priorities for the year ahead, and the transformative role of digitalisation in reshaping the trading value chain.
Discover how Ameropa is harnessing cutting-edge technology to navigate challenges, drive innovation, and unlock new opportunities in 2025 and beyond.
2024 has been an eventful year in energy and commodity trading. What stood out for you?
Indeed, the past years have been remarkably challenging due to political turmoil, supply chain disruptions, the visible effects of climate change, deglobalisation trends, and other economic tensions. From a technology perspective, we have seen world-class traders shifting towards more digital approaches that have helped them not only navigate these challenges but also make the ecosystem more productive and sustainable.
Several examples illustrate this shift, such as the increasing adoption of advanced technologies designed to enhance yields in an ever-changing climate. Today, farmers are growing their crops under increasingly difficult conditions, including frequent droughts, heavier rains, and extreme weather events. Biologically based technologies, such as precision seeds and advanced input compounds, have helped them to adapt and overcome these new complex environments. Additionally, technology now enables the trading of specialty grains with specific compositions, such as high-protein or high-fatty acids of a particular kind, providing commodity traders with new opportunities to reinvent themselves through digital approaches.
Just a few days in 2025, could you share what your biggest priorities will be this year?
Over the past three years, we have dedicated our efforts to modernising our enterprise architecture, with a particular focus on upgrading our applications stack. On the trading side, we successfully deployed a state-of-the-art commodity trading and risk management solution in our main trading hubs. Concurrently, on the financial processes front, we have rolled out a comprehensive global ERP solution.
In addition to these transformative efforts, we have established a robust cloud infrastructure that facilitates continuous improvement and scalability. However, our commitment extends beyond mere technological investments. We have also enhanced our capabilities by nurturing our talent and fostering a culture of innovation and agility.
Thanks to these efforts, we are now well-positioned to reap the benefits of a complete data-driven strategy, and this is where our focus will be in 2025.
Is there a project you’re particularly keen on developing in 2025? Could you tell us more about it?
I am very excited about a program we started at the end of last year and will continue in full motion during 2025. This initiative aims to modernise our trading value chain by leveraging internal and external data sources with advanced AI solutions. It is a unique opportunity to realise the full potential of our data-driven transformation, build new capabilities, and foster collaboration across various functions.
This program seeks to transform the entire trade value chain, from deal origination to risk and position management. By integrating AI technologies and enhanced data management, we aim to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and drive innovation. These efforts will help us make more accurate predictions, optimise decision-making, and deliver superior results to our stakeholders.
Thanks to last year's transformative efforts, including the creation of a robust infrastructure for continuous improvement and scalability, we can now move to the next level of advanced analytics and AI solutions.
There's been much noise around AI in recent years, mentioning its disruptive potential. Is 2025 the year where it all steps up to the next level? What are your views on where AI will be this year?
In 2024, we witnessed an explosion in Generative AI (GenAI) models. At the start of the year, GPT-4 was the premier multi-modal GenAI model accessible to the public. However, the landscape had shifted dramatically by year's end, with over eight advanced models competing for supremacy. These multi-purpose models set the stage for what's to come.
We anticipate the rise of Agentic AI in 2025, a new frontier in artificial intelligence. While GenAI focuses on content creation, Agentic AI will excel in action-oriented tasks.
For instance, in the trading sector, Generative AI, like GPT-4, can analyse years of stock market data and generate insightful reports predicting sector performance. Agentic AI, on the other hand, will take it a step further by autonomously managing and executing trades.
As we move forward, these advancements in AI, including real-time language translation, are set to become commonplace, marking 2025 as a year of exciting technological breakthroughs.
Digitalisation is not just a tool but a strategic driver shaping the future of commodity trading. From harnessing advanced AI to building resilient and scalable infrastructures, companies like Ameropa are leading the way in transforming the trading landscape.
As we move deeper into 2025, the focus on data-driven innovation, enhanced collaboration, and agility will continue to define success in an ever-evolving market. The lessons and strategies shared here offer a roadmap for staying competitive and unlocking new opportunities in the digital age of commodity trading.
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