The coin is more of "stock" in their company that gets them funding and buzz but does not really do much.
XRP, being the (only) native coin to the ledger, is absolutely integral to the Ripple strategy. If you're using the Ripple ledger, then XRP is the cheapest and most efficient way to do so.
people keep forgetting xrp is a LONG TERM investment. the start up company is working with banks and regulation, so a lot of it is hush hush. also, stop comparing the xrp supply with other coins. it's huge for a reason. the banking industry does TRILLIONS of transactions. this dwarfs the total crypto market.
Yes, definitely a long-term one.
Yes, a lot of Ripple's work with banks will be subject to NDAs and so not in the public sphere.
Yes to Ripple's potential market dwarfing current crypto cap.