I think you're probably right to a first approximation.
My (not fully researched) understanding is that there are stablecoins that aren't as dodgy as Tether, and there are scalable blockchains that don't rely on centralising second layers, but it's hard to know which, if any, of these projects have a decent future ahead of them.
Perhaps a few more years of these systems being battle-hardened by use in economically mismanaged countries, with some extra work on the UX/onboarding process, will help separate the viable technologies from the scams.