You wouldn't talk well about Bitcoin if your job was managing fiat currency. People are moving towards crypto and are going to lessen the bank's profit. Of course they want to give it a bad name.
Look at all the brick and mortar shops that didn't open online stores. They're all go destroyed by Amazon. A change in currency is inevitable, you either adapt to it or get run over.
You are right. These comments from high level leaders that are based on very little insight, are just based on the human nature to defend. Some people call it "sunk cost."