In most of the cases Scott cites the underlying thing being facilitated can be done via a normal financial system, some countries just don't have one that functions very well. So I don't see the benefits of crypto as much as I see the benefits of having a well functioning financial system. Crypto just outsources that from local regulators, banks, etc., to crypto developers. Might be a good tradeoff for those countries.

The personal example Scott gives of sending money to Russians is probably illegal and circumvents currency controls that the Russian government has deliberately put in place, so not really a demonstration for crypto as much as it is an example that people find these types of transactions useful for various reasons.