Plastic Is Dead. Long Live the Wallet.

Plastic cards have served the access control industry well for decades. But the writing is on the wall—or more accurately, in the wallet. Mobile credentials are no longer a trend; they’re a tidal wave, and organizations that resist risk getting left behind.

In a roundtable discussion hosted by Lee Odess, CEO of The Access Control Collective, at Intersec Dubai, industry leaders from Alert Enterprise, HID Global, and Wavelynx made it clear: the shift from plastic to mobile is not only inevitable—it’s already happening.

“There’s an undeniable wave of demand for transitioning from plastic to mobile,” said Matt Bennett, Vice President, Mobile Access & Strategic Partnerships at Alert Enterprise. “We’re seeing exponential growth in mobile adoption. Plastic is still around, but it’s barely growing.”

Sanjit Bardhan, Vice President & Head of Mobile at HID, added context: “We launched our first mobile credential in 2014. Things really accelerated when Apple and Google got involved.”

Mobile isn’t just about ditching the badge. It’s about providing users with a modern, seamless, secure experience that traditional access cards simply can’t offer. And with wallet-based credentials tied to identity rather than just access, we’re entering a new era of security.

“We’re watching mobile wallet credentials move faster than any previous shift,” said Rob Lydic, President of Wavelynx. “From fobs to cards to mobile—this is the moment.”