DNA – Indian matchmaking platform Wedknott has acquired a majority stake in wedding planner Aurezia Events. The deal allows Wedknott to support families from matchmaking through wedding planning. India celebrates ~10M weddings a year, an economy estimated at $130B (Rs 11 lakh crore) annually.
TECH CRUNCH – Bumble has ended its women-message-first rule, a major shift from the principle on which it built its brand in 2014. Either person can now start a conversation, and matches have 72 hours to respond instead of 24. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd described the update as an evolution rather than a retreat from the company’s original mission. The company said 66% of women surveyed preferred men to message first. Bumble began relaxing the rule in 2024 with Opening Moves, a feature that allowed women to set a question on their profile that a man could answer. The latest change comes as the company tries to revive its struggling business.
SCANX – Matrimony.com announced strong Q1FY27 results, with revenue rising 13.2% to ₹130.5 crore ($13.7M). Net profit more than doubled to ₹19.1 crore ($2M), up 127.5% YOY. The company also added 272K paid subscriptions.
BBC – China is cracking down on “flash marriage” 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 China’s 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 victims’ money remain difficult.
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.
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.
IRISH INDEPENDENT – Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) plans to fine Tinder between €8M and €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.
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?
🏠 Flexible: Attend from anywhere – no travel required.
⏰ Convenient: Live session. 90 minutes.
💰 Free: No registration fees.
See the LTR Edition 53 speakers and invite page here.
This event is kindly sponsored by HubPeople, LeadThink, and Matchmaker.com.
Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.
OPW – We’re dedicated to providing you with quality daily executive summaries and intelligence. Subscribe here, and send to a friend. We find news and info that will help make you smarter and help you make better informed decisions. Online Personals Watch has been run by the Courtland Brooks team since 2004.
GRINDR – Grindr’s 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.