Being used for financial services isn't controversial, many onlookers and disillusioned crypto proponents seem to think trade and speculation doesn't count as utility. Something that more so reflects complete segregation of how our society works and the largest sector in said society.

Non-permissioned financial services is valuable, it represents pent up interest that has been muted for decades, while we pretended that only ivy league quants who also had lots capital could do anything with financial services. it was never true, just the capital barrier was high and the industry was protectionist

Even if you just look at whatever gatekept financial services are ostensibly trying to prevent, that undeniably has a value, and now that the gates are down many people transfer value this way because its fun and lucrative and quick. It serves everyone that shows up.

And most importantly: it doesn't have to be the best technological solution. nobody using it cares that a managed database could run the whole platform, people care that a managed database is permissioned and under many arbitrary whims of advertisers, shareholders, executives, and governments. Mitigating that undermines the performance. Not that controversial.