If banks dominate forex volume, are retail traders competing in a game they were never meant to win

i think you need to understand that retail traders were never meant to control the market but only to survive within it. Banks dominate volume but size can also become a weakness because big institution cannot enter and exit positions as freely as similar traders

Institutions move the market but they also leave footprints through volume liquidity grabs and market structurer shifts. retail can exit instantly while institution often need massive liquidity to fill orders without disrupting price