BENZINGA – Milian is an online matchmaking company targeting young Chinese users, preparing for a Hong Kong IPO. It reported 74% revenue growth last year, with profits tripling. The company stands out by using human matchmakers instead of AI, employing thousands of facilitators to guide conversations and support users through the dating process. This sets it apart from platforms like Tinder and Momo, which rely on algorithms.
BIOMETRIC UPDATE – India is considering mandatory KYC for social media, dating, and gaming platforms, which would require users to verify their identity and reduce anonymity. India is also considering age-based restrictions for social media users under 18. The plan would use age verification tools and apply different rules to groups aged 8–12, 12–16, and 16–18, with a law expected later this year. The proposals aim to improve safety around cybercrime, abuse, and deepfakes, but raise concerns about privacy, enforcement, and overregulation.
QUASA – China is seeing rapid growth in parent-focused matchmaking apps like Perfect In-Laws, Chengjiaxiangqin, and Red Thread Matchmaking. These platforms let parents search for spouses for their adult children, focusing on income, property, and background. The trend is driven by falling marriage rates and economic pressure. The apps are heavily monetized through subscriptions and paid features, often playing on parental urgency. While sometimes effective, many young people push back, feeling reduced to profiles in a system they don’t control.
BUSINESS TODAY – Gleeden, a dating platform designed for extra-marital relationships, has reached 4M users in India, making the country one of its fastest-growing markets. Launched in France in 2009, the app’s Indian user base is 65% male and 35% female, with women’s participation rising 148% over the past two years. Usage is concentrated in major cities such as Bengaluru (18%), Hyderabad (17%), Delhi (11%), Mumbai (9%), and Pune (7%), though growth is also expanding into smaller cities. The platform allows women to use the service for free, which the company says helps encourage participation.
THE PINK NEWS – Malaysia has blocked access to Grindr and Blued and is considering further action against other LGBTQ+ dating platforms, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced on 25 February. He said authorities are reviewing legal measures to restrict apps deemed to violate local laws, including those involving immoral or unlawful content. Same-sex activity remains illegal in Malaysia and carries severe criminal penalties under federal and state laws.
QUEERTY – Blued launched in 2012 and rapidly surpassed Grindr to become the world’s largest gay dating app by user count. Founded by former police officer Ma Baoli, the app expanded beyond dating into social networking and HIV-related public health services, became publicly listed, and reached a multimillion-dollar valuation. Beginning in 2021, a broader LGBTQ+ crackdown under Xi Jinping led to increased censorship of queer platforms. In late 2025, Blued and its youth-focused sister app Finka were removed from app stores in mainland China and remain unavailable as of early 2026, with users awaiting a possible return. Chinese writer Yi-Ling Liu documents Blued’s rise and subsequent censorship in her book The Wall Dancers.
CHOSUN – South Korean matchmaking company Sunoo was ordered by Jongno-gu Office (a Seoul district government) to suspend its online matching platform Couple.net, on the grounds that it violates the Marriage Brokerage Act. Sunoo disputes the ruling, saying Couple.net operates like a dating app such as Tinder and should be regulated under the E-Commerce Act. Couple.net has ~100K users. The suspension would require shutting down payments and refunding users, potentially costing billions of won. A court granted a temporary stay of the enforcement order pending an administrative lawsuit. Sunoo warns that if it loses it may relocate operations to the U.S. Regulators are criticized for applying outdated law to modern platforms while global services are not restricted.
SECURITYBRIEF – Nearly half of New Zealand online daters would consider dating an AI, according to Norton, with 48% open to AI relationships and 25% believing romantic feelings toward AI are possible. Many daters already use AI for emotional support, profile writing, flirting practice, and dating advice, sometimes trusting AI more than friends or family, even as most say they are uncomfortable when others use AI to alter photos or messages.
BAR AND BENCH – Dating apps often continue tracking users even after accounts are deleted through cookies, SDKs, shadow profiles, cross-app identifiers, and third-party data sharing. India’s new Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act) and the 2025 Rules directly challenge these practices by enforcing rights such as mandatory data erasure, purpose-limited processing, stronger security standards, restricted cross-border transfers, and heavy penalties for violations. Under the new law, dating platforms must justify and minimise any retained data, improve transparency, and overhaul vague retention policies.
FINANCE COLOMBIA – Dr. Julia Meszaros, Associate Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M Commerce, has studied the premium international dating (PID) industry for over a decade, focusing on Ukraine, the Philippines, and Colombia. Her research explores gender roles, globalization, and motivations behind cross-border relationships.
Key points:
Overall, Meszaros frames the growth of the PID industry as a by-product of gender, economic, and cultural shifts in Western societies rather than exploitation or trafficking.
See full article at Finance Colombia