Yes, incumbents warped the original intentions, it's true. Famously, Bitcoin was coopted and the originally intended functionality only lived on in the Bitcoin Cash fork. Cryptocurrency was supposed to be a way to transact without touching the banking system, but banksters realized that it could be an unregulated vehicle for their financial shenanigans. I don't know how you might have guarded against that sort of attack - capitalism being about commodification at a fundamental level - but, "It was always a fox house!" is incorrect.