Ripple has been a bankers coin and centralized project, this has been the contention way back, as far as can remember 2018, wherein they work and cooperated with many banks so don't be surprised by this news.

Financial freedom? for them it's business. There was a time wherein they are in the top of the list. There were even discussions about a so called "Rippening", wherein there will be a flip and Ripple or XRP becoming the top 1 dislodging BTC. But investors are too smart for that, and so they suddenly lose or investors are not interested on them anymore. But they still try to work it out and continue with their initiatives till this year.