Dating Industry Insights: news on the business of online dating
The B2B media platform for the online dating industry. Financial intelligence, regulatory tracking, and industry data for operators and investors.
The Brief
- Tinder had been static but is evolving, Match Group's Mmegwa says
- Grindr director Zage sells 500,000 shares worth about $7.06M
- Match Group's Roth details Tinder and Hinge India safety features
- Study of 35 Indian romance fraud cases tracks move offline
- BBC: singles turn to IRL dating events as Tinder brings them in-app
Latest stories
- Durham police add three charges in alleged $1M romance fraud
Durham police laid three more charges against Salvatore Malandrino in an alleged romance fraud involving over $1M, after more alleged victims came forward.
- Bumble shares more than double to $5.95 on Ithaca takeover
Bumble (BMBL) shares rose from $2.54 to $5.95 over 12-13 October, just under Ithaca Holdings' $6.05 cash offer valuing the company at $1.3B.
- Bumble payers fall 16.4% as revenue per payer rises, TechRound says
TechRound says Bumble's paying users fell 16.4% to 3.2M in Q2 2026 while ARPPU rose 1.2% to $21.96, as the $1.3B Ithaca Holdings take-private awaits closing.
- Match Group consensus stays Hold with $42.46 target, MarketBeat says
MarketBeat's tally has Match Group at consensus Hold from 16 firms, 9 Hold and 7 Buy, with a $42.46 average target against a cited $42.40 share price.
- Bloomberg reports tech clients turn to high-fee human matchmakers
Bloomberg reports wealthy tech-industry clients are paying human matchmakers instead of using apps, while Match Group says Hinge payers rose 17% to 2M.
- CNN says Bumble, Grindr and Hinge are bringing AI into dating
CNN reports Bumble is dropping the swipe and Grindr is piloting bot-to-bot chats to vet dates, but gives no pilot details. Grindr Q2 revenue rose 33%.
- Tinder and Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo run SwipeCenter pop-up in Shibuya
Tinder ran a free three-day SwipeCenter game centre in Shibuya on 18-20 September, with a dating game and coins earned by downloading and using the app.
- Bumble plans to drop swiping in select markets from Q4 2026
Bumble will drop swiping in select markets from Q4 2026, Axios reported. It was piloting AI assistant Bee in March. Q2 paying users fell 16.4% to 3.2M.
- Known matches San Diego singles after 30-minute AI voice interview
Known, the swipe-free app from two 22-year-old Stanford dropouts, matches members after an AI voice interview of about 30 minutes and charges $15 per match.
- Law firms probe fairness of Bumble's $6.05 take-private price
Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, Kahn Swick & Foti and Ademi LLP opened investigations on 13-14 October into whether Bumble's $6.05-a-share sale price is fair.
- Sacramento man pleads not guilty over alleged dating-profile fraud
Daejon Love, 35, pleaded not guilty in Portland to wire fraud conspiracy over alleged dating-profile scams. An earlier DOJ release cites 26 victims and $1.3M.
- Match Group CEO Rascoff says Tinder fix is culture, not algorithm
Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff told NBIM's podcast Tinder's turnaround is people-led. BigGo reports a 17-point engagement rise and Events in 25 cities.
- Bumble launches searchable Handles a day after $1.3B Ithaca deal
Bumble launched opt-in searchable Handles for verified US iOS members on 14 October, one day after agreeing a $1.3B take-private by Ithaca Holdings.
- FTC sues Digital Forensics over alleged $60M sextortion scheme
The FTC sued Ohio-based Digital Forensics and CEO Dmitry Belkin over a sextortion relief scheme it says took at least $60M, and says it won a temporary halt.
- Match Group's Tinder scammer reach rose sevenfold, report says
A Hassan-led congressional report says Tinder left scam models stale for years as median scammer reach rose more than sevenfold. Match disputes parts.
- Bumble to install Ithaca founders Gupta and Hegeman as co-CEOs
Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman become Bumble co-CEOs when the $1.3B Ithaca deal closes. Whitney Wolfe Herd, who stays CEO until then, gets no stated title.
- Miami startup Stoke plans venue-based dating and friendship app
Miami startup Stoke plans a five-venue Wynwood pilot for its free check-in dating app, then a January launch targeting 60 venue partners, Axios reports.
- Blackstone entities sell 2.76M Bumble shares at $3.5423 via forward
Seven Blackstone-linked vehicles sold 2,763,510 Bumble Class A shares at $3.5423 on 13 October, but about 15.9M shares remain, not a 99.5% cut.
- Bumble agrees $1.3B sale to Ithaca Holdings at $6.05 a share
Bumble has agreed a $1.3B all-cash sale to Ithaca Holdings at $6.05 a share, approved by written consent from Blackstone and its founder.
- Microsoft's Xandr fined NOK 92M by Norway over Grindr user data
Norway's regulator fined Microsoft's Xandr NOK 92M ($9.6M) for using Grindr user data in ad auctions without valid consent. What it means for dating apps.
- Character.AI files for Chapter 11 as Disney bids $20M for its tech
Character.AI has filed for Chapter 11 and Disney bid $20M for a licence to its tech. What the sale and new state demands mean for dating apps.
- Instagram rules out dating feature as Mosseri points to DMs
Adam Mosseri says Instagram has no plans for a dating feature. What that means for Match Group, Bumble, Hinge and Meta's Facebook Dating.
- Dixner buys Crush Party to launch singles events brand Dixner Crush
Dixner has bought Paris singles party brand Crush Party and will run its events as Dixner Crush from 22 October. No price was disclosed.
- Stephen Odiboh gets 33 months for dating site and Facebook scam
A Rochester federal judge sentenced Stephen Odiboh to 33 months and $196,500 in restitution over a romance scam with $356,500 in total loss and attempted loss.
- ODDA launches consumer safety panel of 12 to 16 people for dating apps
ODDA has launched a Consumer Safety Panel of survivors, users and experts to test dating app safety features and shape its standards.
- eharmony to seek appeal after Australian court declares six breaches
Australia's Federal Court formally declared eharmony misled users on renewals, pricing and free dating. eharmony plans to appeal; penalty still to come.
- Hinge replaces bans with a mandatory lesson for minor harassment
Hinge now gives daters who commit minor harassment in chats a warning and a compulsory lesson, not a ban. Serious and repeat cases still mean removal.
- Feeld revenue rises 32% to £64M as pre-tax profit hits £11.4M
Feeld's 2025 accounts show revenue up 31.5% to £64.4M and pre-tax profit of £11.4M, outpacing Match Group, Bumble and Grindr.
- Grindr's $320M Healthcare Bet: Vertical Integration or Privacy Gamble?
Grindr is buying PurposeMed, parent of telehealth provider Freddie, for $320 million, adding PrEP and STI testing to its app as Grindr Health.
- Tinder's Group Hangouts: Innovation or Identity Crisis?
Tinder launched Group Hangouts, letting up to 15 people share one profile. In Australian testing, 40% of group invitations were accepted.
- Ditto's Viral Growth: FOMO-Driven Sign-Ups or Genuine Dating Success?
AI dating service Ditto grew from 42,000 sign-ups in February to 200,000 across 20-25 US campuses, and has raised $10.8 million in total.
- SPARK's Pivot: A White Flag in the Dating App Wars
Dating app SPARK is rebranding as a 'real-world social network' for venue-based meetups after 1,400 bookings in Thailand over 12 months of testing.
- UK's Under-16 Social Media Ban: A Warning Shot for Dating Apps
Ofcom data shows more than one in ten 15- to 17-year-olds accessed three major UK dating apps despite age checks, as the under-16 social media ban nears.
- Singapore's FirstDate: Can Algorithmic Monogamy Solve a Fertility Crisis?
Singapore's GovTech has launched FirstDate, a dating app giving civil servants aged 21 to 35 one match at a time, amid a fertility rate of 0.87 in 2025.
- Hinge's India Bet: Can Cultural Adaptation Drive $1B Ambitions?
Hinge is now India's second-most downloaded dating app, and Match Group plans more marketing there to chase $1 billion in Hinge revenue by 2027.
Sections
- Daily News, Launches, hires, funding and the day's dating industry news.
- Financial, Deals, earnings, valuations and investor news from the dating business.
- Regulation, Fines, rulings, new laws and safety rules that affect dating apps.
- Technology & AI, Product launches, AI features and the technology behind dating apps.
- Data, Market numbers, surveys, app rankings and research on the dating industry.
- Community, Events, people moves and the dating industry's community.