SCANX – Matrimony.com announced strong Q1FY27 results, with revenue rising 13.2% to ā¹130.5 crore ($13.7M). Net profit more than doubled to ā¹19.1 crore ($2M), up 127.5% YOY. The company also added 272K paid subscriptions.
China Cracks Down on Flash Marriage Scams Targeting Single Men
BBC – China is cracking down on āflash marriageā scams in which matchmaking agencies target single men with promises of quickly finding a wife. Victims have paid large agency fees and bride prices, only for their new wives to disappear or be exposed as having concealed major personal and financial information. The scams exploit Chinaās gender imbalance and shortage of potential partners, particularly in rural areas. Authorities investigated cases involving more than 1,500 people between January 2024 and March 2025, but prosecutions and recovering victimsā money remain difficult.
Hinge Releases First Audiobook Featuring Real-Life Love Stories
MASHABLE – Hinge has released its first audiobook as part of its No Ordinary Love campaign. Five authors wrote and narrated stories about real couples who met on Hinge, with the couples adding their own epilogues. The audiobook is available on Spotify, Apple Audiobooks, Libro.fm, Libby, Barnes & Noble Audiobooks, and Substack. Written versions are also available on Substack.
Coffee Meets Bagel Details Its Anti-Catfishing Safety Systems
BUSINESSTODAY – Coffee Meets Bagel has outlined the technology behind its efforts to prevent catfishing and improve user safety. As soon as someone signs up, its safety systems begin working in parallel. These include fake-account detection, AI-generated and edited photo detection, fraud monitoring, message moderation, reputation checks, and human review. In Singapore, ~80% of users are verified through Singpass, while 81% of active users completed selfie verification within three months of its launch.
Tinder Faces ā¬8Māā¬11M Fine Over GDPR Breaches
IRISH INDEPENDENT – Irelandās Data Protection Commission (DPC) plans to fine Tinder between ā¬8M and ā¬11M following a GDPR investigation launched in 2020. The probe concerns user-data retention, transparency, and the handling of access and deletion requests. Match Group has recorded a $9.1M provision but says it will vigorously defend against the findings. The DPC is likely to finalise its decision within the next couple of weeks.
Announcing LTR 53 With Bill Shafton (Former Grindr Chief Legal Officer) and Paul Larsen (Payment Processing Expert)
OPW – The next LTR online dating industry conference is on August 19th, at 12 PM EST. In this edition, Bill Shafton, former Head of Legal at Grindr, for 9 years!, will discuss preparing for M&A. Then, luminary payment processing expert, Paul Larsen, will discuss the latest payment processing trends and solutions.
If you hold a full-time leadership role at an online dating, social discovery, or matchmaking company, you are welcome to join LTR events for free.
Why attend LTR?
š Flexible: Attend from anywhere ā no travel required.
ā° Convenient: Live session. 90 minutes.
š° Free: No registration fees.
See theĀ LTR Edition 53Ā speakers and invite page here.
This event is kindly sponsored by HubPeople, LeadThink, and Matchmaker.com.
Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.
Grindr Reports Q2, Revenue up 33%
GRINDR – Grindrās Q2 revenue rose 33% to $138M. Net income reached $18M, while adjusted EBITDA was $58M. The company raised its full-year revenue forecast to ~$540M. Grindr credited strong user engagement, product improvements and its Madonna partnership for the growth.
Bumble Announces Q2 2026 Results, Revenue Down 15%
BUMBLE – Bumbleās Q2 revenue fell 15% to $21M, while paying users dropped 16% to 3.2M. The company recorded a $128M net loss, including a $169M impairment charge. Adjusted EBITDA declined to $73M. Bumble is investing in new matching algorithms, conversation tools, in-person dating features, and group experiences as part of a wider product overhaul.
Tinder Is Testing Missed Connections and Text-based Search
MASHABLE – Tinder’s new feature, Missed Connections, is being tested in Canada and Australia. The feature shows users a weekly selection of people they crossed paths with.Ā A text-based profile search is also being tested in Canada. It has generated tens of thousands of searches in its first few weeks.Ā The app has also updated its recommendation algorithm for straight women, which apparently drove gains in Sparks (the number of users engaging in six-way conversations on Tinder in a given week) and Sparks Coverage (the percentage of active users who experience a Spark in a given time).Ā
Opening Up to a Chatbot Backfires, and Only for the People Who Need Connection Most
OPW – Stanford researchers just published a finding that flips one of the sturdier results in relationship science. Self-disclosure, telling someone your real stuff, usually predicts higher well-being. Diyi Yang’s lab tracked 1,131 Character.AI users, analyzed hundreds of thousands of their chat messages, and found the reverse with AI companions: the more personal information people shared with their chatbot, the worse they felt afterward. That effect concentrated almost entirely among users with small offline social networks, the exact group most likely to turn to a chatbot in the first place.
The researchers describe AI companionship as a “social snack.” It satisfies the hunger for connection in the moment while skipping the nutrients. A chatbot cannot reciprocate disclosure the way a person can, and it is built to keep the conversation going regardless of whether that’s good for you.