Privacy coins like Monero are easy to be used for money laundering, and there are indeed regulatory risks, which may have performed well in the previous bull runs, but for the current cryptocurrency market, compliance comes first.
With constant exchange de-listings and volatile market prices, I doubt criminals would want to use XMR for money laundering and tax evasion. They're better off with traditional Fiat. If there's something we could blame for Monero's unpopularity, that would be the government. It has spread false propaganda, making people believe Monero is only the "criminal's coin". They're afraid of getting into it because governments will eventually tag them as a criminal. Or it would render suspicions when using it for day-to-day payments.
Now I've read there will be KYC-compliant privacy protocols and DEXs. That would totally defeat the purpose of privacy/anonymity. Wasn't it always about protecting ourselves against government surveillance? Businesses won't have any issues with KYC-compliant privacy, other than individuals themselves. At least, those who actually care about their privacy. ETH privacy protocol dubbed "Privacy Pools" is one of those KYC-compliant privacy solutions. The question is: Will Monero be able to withstand strong regulatory pressure? Or will it eventually "please" the regulators? It's an uncertain world we've living into, so expect the worst.
