XRP certainly can be used for transactions; whether its 'just another' is subjective. I hold it but don't consider it is the only, or necessarily, the best transaction coin. IMHO it has good prospects but DYOR on that if you are interested.
It is unlikely it is being pumped by the banks. Banks generally do not yet have the mandates in place to be buying/trading/pumping cryptocurrencies. Many are still getting their heads around the whole concept. Banks might use XRP/xRapid in the future for cross-border transactions but at the moment it is only a small number of money transfer firms that are using or trialing XRP.
