Rakuten Viber
In short: Rakuten Viber is the company behind the Viber messaging and calling app, owned by Japan's Rakuten since its 2014 acquisition for about $900 million. It is registered as Viber Media S.à r.l. in Luxembourg. DII reported in June 2026 that Viber is testing integrated dating, a move into a market held by Tinder.
Key facts
| Type | Dating platform |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Luxembourg |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Website | viber.com |
| Acquisition | Rakuten agreed to acquire Viber Media for about US$900 million including advisory and other expenses, taking 100 per cent of its voting stock [Rakuten, 14 February 2014] |
| Fact | At the time of the acquisition Viber reported about 280 million registered users and over 100 million monthly active users, with 2013 revenue of about US$1.5 million [Rakuten, 14 February 2014] |
| Founder | Viber was founded in Tel Aviv by Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik and launched in 2010 [Wikipedia, 2010] |
| Fact | The corporate name changed from Viber Media to Rakuten Viber in July 2017; the legal name remains Viber Media S.à r.l., registered in Luxembourg [Wikipedia, July 2017] |
| Users | Viber reported one billion registered users by 2018 [Wikipedia, 2018] |
| Chief executive | Ofir Eyal became chief executive in 2022, replacing Djamel Agaoua [Wikipedia, 2022] |
| Launch | DII reported that the company behind Viber is testing integrated dating [Dating Industry Insights, 19 June 2026] |
About Rakuten Viber
Rakuten Viber is the company behind Viber, a mobile messaging and voice calling app. Wikipedia describes it as an Israeli-founded service, launched in 2010 by Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik in Tel Aviv. Its legal name remains Viber Media S.à r.l., registered in Luxembourg, although sources differ on whether its headquarters is in Luxembourg or Cyprus.
Rakuten announced on 14 February 2014 that it would acquire Viber Media for about $900 million, taking 100 per cent of the voting stock. At the time Viber reported about 280 million registered users and over 100 million monthly active users, with 2013 revenue of about $1.5 million and a net loss of about $29.5 million. The Shabtai family was the largest shareholder, with 55.2 per cent. In July 2017 the corporate name changed from Viber Media to Rakuten Viber. Wikipedia reports one billion registered users by 2018, and Ofir Eyal as chief executive since 2022.
DII reported in June 2026 that the company is testing integrated dating inside Viber and framed it as a possible challenge to Tinder's revenue. That makes Rakuten Viber a potential new entrant for dating-industry watchers.
People
- Nadav Melnick, Chief Product Officer
Stories about Rakuten Viber
- Viber's Dating Bet: A Threat to Tinder's $3B Revenue Stream?
Rakuten Viber is rolling out dating features across Southeast Asia and Europe, but has not disclosed how it plans to monetise them. - Viber's Dating Feature: A Super-App Play or Just Engagement Filler?
Rakuten Viber has launched Viber Dating in the Philippines, targeting 20 million users in beta, with no monetisation model disclosed.
Questions about Rakuten Viber
Who owns Viber?
Viber is owned by Rakuten of Japan, which announced its acquisition of Viber Media for about $900 million in February 2014.
Who founded Viber?
Wikipedia names Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik as the founders of Viber, which launched in 2010.
Is Viber getting into dating?
DII reported in June 2026 that the company behind Viber is testing integrated dating.
What does Rakuten Viber do?
Rakuten Viber is the company behind the Viber messaging and calling app, owned by Japan's Rakuten since its 2014 acquisition for about $900 million. It is registered as Viber Media S.à r.l. in Luxembourg. DII reported in June 2026 that Viber is testing integrated dating, a move into a market held by Tinder.
Where is Rakuten Viber based?
Rakuten Viber is based in Luxembourg.
When was Rakuten Viber founded?
Rakuten Viber was founded in 2010.
Also known as: Viber, Viber Media, Viber Media S.à r.l..