The Future of Security
27 June, 2025
From Metal Cards to Digital Identities
In a special edition of FinTech Focus TV recorded live at Pay360 2025, host Ian Bailey sits down with Dr. Adam Lowe, the Chief Product & Innovation Officer at CompoSecure, for an insightful conversation on the past, present, and future of FinTech innovation. In this episode, the two explore how CompoSecure has evolved from a niche manufacturer of metal payment cards into a pioneering force in digital identity and blockchain security through its digital division, Arculus.
This discussion is not just a story of product innovation—it’s a look at the cutting edge of FinTech security, the future of digital assets, and what it takes to build the kind of talent and culture that can power sustained growth in a complex, fast-moving industry. For us at Harrington Starr, a global FinTech recruitment business, these insights highlight the trends shaping demand for FinTech professionals and the skills that will define the next generation of financial services.
Global Reach and Sustainable Innovation in FinTech Payments
Dr. Adam Lowe begins the conversation by introducing CompoSecure, a company best known for creating metal payment cards. These are not the average bank cards most consumers carry—CompoSecure is behind some of the most prestigious products on the market, from the American Express Black Card to offerings from innovative FinTech firms such as Monzo, N26, Chase, and Capital One. The company ships to every continent, with customers in the United States, China, Australia, Latin America, and Africa.
Over the past 12 years, Dr. Adam has seen the business transform dramatically. CompoSecure began as a family-owned company, then moved through a private equity phase, and is now a publicly listed entity on Nasdaq, trading under the ticker CMPO. What started as a team of under 60 employees has grown into a workforce of over 1,000—a testament to the demand for premium, secure, and sustainable payment solutions.
But why metal cards? Dr. Adam explains that this product innovation is driven by the experience economy. In the same way a luxury watch conveys more than just timekeeping, a metal card offers consumers a tactile sense of prestige, permanence, and brand connection. From a business perspective, these features translate into measurable benefits for issuers: higher brand loyalty, lower churn, increased spend, and improved customer retention.
Just as important as experience is sustainability. CompoSecure uses post-consumer recycled steel in its metal cards, actively diverting waste from landfill. Most of their partners offer recycling programmes, allowing consumers to return expired cards via pre-paid envelopes. Because steel is endlessly recyclable, this approach adds a strong environmental narrative to their premium product offering.
The company is also carbon neutral, offsetting emissions through reforestation projects and other environmental commitments. In an era where ESG goals are core to financial services strategy, CompoSecure stands out not only for what it produces, but how it produces it.
Arculus and the Future of FinTech Security and Identity
From the tangible world of premium cards, the discussion shifts to the digital frontier. Dr. Adam introduces Arculus, a digital division within CompoSecure focused on digital identity and digital asset security. Born out of internal R&D and Dr. Adam’s own background in defence and cybersecurity, Arculus leverages the cryptographic power of existing card technology and expands its functionality through software innovation.
At the heart of Arculus is a powerful idea: payment card chips are underutilised cryptographic engines. These chips already perform secure encryption functions for payment, but with additional software, they can serve multiple purposes. Arculus-enabled cards now act as hardware passkeys and hardware wallets, offering a secure, physical alternative to vulnerable online security protocols.
Dr. Adam explains that many existing digital security measures—like SMS-based multi-factor authentication—are no longer sufficient. With the advent of AI-driven phishing, it’s becoming easier for bad actors to manipulate consumers into sharing sensitive data. By embedding digital cryptographic keys within the secure element of a metal card, Arculus eliminates these vulnerabilities. The key never leaves the card, never touches the cloud, and cannot be faked, phished, or copied.
This has enormous implications not just for traditional banking, but also for blockchain-enabled services. With the same card, a consumer can prove their identity to a bank and securely sign cryptocurrency transactions. Arculus is enabling a seamless bridge between legacy financial infrastructure and emerging decentralised ecosystems, using physical technology to enforce digital trust.
Blockchain in FinTech: From Theory to Real-World Applications
When discussing the future of financial services, Dr. Adam paints a vivid picture. He compares the state of blockchain and digital assets today to the railroad boom of the 1890s, where infrastructure was rapidly evolving, standards were still in flux, and mergers were common. The FinTech industry is undergoing a similar period of explosive growth and consolidation.
Dr. Adam foresees a future where digital assets, tokenised currencies, and stablecoins will become commonplace, even within mainstream financial institutions. He imagines a world in which users will hold a variety of digital stores of value, such as stablecoins, crypto, stocks, and digital representations of fiat currencies. When a transaction occurs, the most efficient store of value will be liquidated on the fly to complete the purchase.
This “anything in, anything out” model fundamentally reshapes how we understand liquidity and value exchange. Instead of being locked into fiat rails, consumers and merchants can exchange value in whichever format is most convenient, secure, and cost-effective. As Dr. Adam puts it, blockchain is not a “solution in search of a problem”—it’s a solution to the core problem of efficient, instant, global payments.
The Role of Talent in Scaling a FinTech Vision
Of course, no FinTech transformation is possible without the right people. As a FinTech recruitment firm, Harrington Starr recognises how essential talent is to delivering innovation at scale. Ian asks Dr. Adam how CompoSecure has approached the challenge of attracting and retaining top-tier FinTech talent, and his answer is refreshingly honest.
Dr. Adam emphasises the importance of independent thinking. During interviews, he often asks candidates how they solve problems without having all the necessary information—an indicator of how well they cope with ambiguity and think creatively. He also asks how people prefer to work and be managed. The aim is to build a team where people are not only talented, but also empowered to do their best work in an environment that suits them.
Rather than micromanaging, Dr. Adam believes in giving people the tools, the problems, and the authority to execute—intervening only to offer guidance when needed. This approach allows CompoSecure to function with a high level of autonomy and creativity, especially in product and innovation roles. As Dr. Adam puts it, they only hire “rock stars”, and then get out of their way.
This management philosophy aligns with what we at Harrington Starr have seen in the most successful FinTech firms globally: hire great people, trust them to lead, and remove roadblocks to execution.
Bridging the Physical and Digital in FinTech
One of the most compelling aspects of this conversation is the fusion of physical products and digital transformation. While many FinTechs choose one direction—digital wallets, blockchain apps, or software-only solutions—CompoSecure is uniquely positioned at the intersection. Their innovation lies in leveraging a physical object—a payment card—as a gateway to digital ecosystems.
This hybrid approach is not only clever but also extremely practical. Consumers are already used to carrying cards. By making those cards more powerful—embedding digital security functions into an object people already trust—CompoSecure and Arculus reduce friction and increase adoption.
This strategy also creates new FinTech jobs in hardware-software integration, cybersecurity, cryptographic engineering, and product innovation. These are not skills traditionally associated with finance, but they are now essential in a FinTech landscape defined by trust, speed, and security.
What FinTech Recruitment Must Look Like in 2025 and Beyond
The insights from this episode highlight not just technology trends but also the evolving demands in FinTech recruitment. As the industry shifts toward digital identity, blockchain infrastructure, and security-first products, hiring managers must adapt.
Firms need professionals who are fluent in both the language of finance and the architecture of software and security. This includes product managers, blockchain developers, data security specialists, AI risk analysts, and compliance professionals who understand how to work with emerging technologies. Equally important is the ability to identify candidates who think independently, solve problems creatively, and operate effectively in ambiguity.
At Harrington Starr, we work with businesses like CompoSecure to find and place the people who can drive this change. We understand that FinTech isn’t just about coding or regulation—it’s about building bridges between old and new, physical and digital, safe and seamless. And it all starts with the right talent.
Conclusion: A Blueprint for FinTech Transformation
This episode of FinTech Focus TV offers far more than a behind-the-scenes look at an innovative FinTech firm. It provides a blueprint for how to succeed in a changing financial landscape: combine premium product experiences with airtight security, connect physical design with digital capability, and build a team culture that rewards innovation.
Dr. Adam Lowe’s journey—from defence to digital assets, from metal cards to cryptographic keys—is a testament to what can happen when visionary leadership meets world-class execution. For FinTech companies navigating the next phase of growth, the key takeaways are clear: build secure, sustainable solutions, empower your team, and never underestimate the power of trust—digital or otherwise.
If your business is ready to hire the next generation of FinTech innovators, or if you're a candidate looking to be part of this exciting transformation, speak to our team at Harrington Starr. With offices in London, New York, and Belfast, we’re your partner in building the future of FinTech.
