Ripple may be a great way to trade in normal fiat currencies, but I don't really care to do that anymore, now that Bitcoin exists. Yes, it's true that Ripple has XRP which is a cryptocurrency with many similar features to Bitcoin, but it offers no advantage over Bitcoin, and thus why do I care to use it? I might as well use LiteCoin 
I see Ripple as a great way to help the transition from fiat to crypto. Even if it succumbs to the threats you mention, it may still have helped Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency gain acceptance.