Great question, and very timely. In practice, “digitally ready” is usually less about devices and more about habits and trust. Smartphone access helps, but what matters more is whether members already share phones, use basic services like mobile airtime or messaging, and feel confident asking for help. Clear group governance, basic numeracy, and agreement on transparency are strong green lights. Red flags include low attendance, unresolved conflicts, fear of losing money digitally, or reliance on a single tech-savvy member. To avoid exclusion, phased rollouts, hybrid paper–digital systems, peer champions, and lots of hands-on practice tend to work better than one-off trainings.
