36KR – Japan is seeing rapid growth in dating platforms aimed at married people seeking relationships outside marriage. Cuddle has grown from 50K registered users in early 2023 to ~1.3M in 2026. The platform uses AI to recommend matches based on factors including availability, whether users have children, and activity patterns. Alongside Cuddle, Married Club and Healmate have built large user bases, highlighting the growing market for married-only dating services in Japan.
BARCLAYS – New Barclays research shows rising costs are changing how younger people date, with 45% of Gen Z saying costs have affected their ability to go on dates and 27% cancelling, rearranging or declining dates because of money. More than half of Gen Z are choosing cheaper options such as coffee or running dates, while dating app spending has risen 51% year-on-year. Money is becoming a bigger compatibility factor too, with 49% of women saying they would rule out someone with a different attitude to finances. Barclays has launched its Statement Dating series to encourage more open conversations about money and relationships.
FOX NEWS – Meta’s new Muse AI agent is being used by some people as a romantic companion, despite being designed primarily as a personal assistant. Muse remembers conversations, can initiate messages, and allows users aged 18+ to engage in romantic and sexually explicit conversations. Users can customize its name, appearance, and personality, helping create a more personal experience. The trend is raising concerns about emotional dependence and privacy, particularly as Muse conversations may be used to train Meta’s AI models unless users opt out.
ESQUIRE – Viber says the Philippines has become the fastest-growing market for Viber Dating, accounting for 56% of all new dating profiles year-to-date. The platform has seen monthly active users rise 96% year-on-year and revenue increase 95% year-to-date. Manila is already Viber’s largest overall market and its biggest market for paying premium subscribers. Viber says its dating service includes systems to detect and remove fake or suspicious accounts.
BIOMETRIC UPDATE – Australia is preparing legal action against major social media platforms over alleged failures to enforce its minimum age law. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube are among the potential targets as the eSafety Commissioner gathers evidence of non-compliance. The law requires covered platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from holding accounts, although it does not mandate a specific age-verification method. Communications Minister Anika Wells says the government will hold platforms accountable if they fail to comply.
OPW – AI dating startup Ditto has launched Bay Area Bestie, a free friendship matching service in San Francisco. Ditto creative director Elsa Cai developed the feature to meet more women working in the city’s tech industry. Users verify their identity and receive a potential friend match by text every Wednesday, based on location and shared interests. The service is open to adults aged 18 and over. Ditto CEO Allen Wang said the launch attracted 826,000 views and thousands of sign-ups within 24 hours. The company previously reported more than 200,000 sign-ups for its AI dating service.
THE TELEGRAPH – Sniffies is facing scrutiny in the UK over concerns that children could access the dating platform and be exposed to grooming. Anonymous users can enter any date of birth that makes them 18 or older, without their age being verified, and can then message other users and view registered profiles. Ofcom is now in discussions with Sniffies over its compliance with the Online Safety Act. Sniffies denies any wrongdoing and says its UK protections comply with the law. Match Group invested $100 million for a minority stake in the company earlier this year.
SF STANDARD – AI is becoming a new compatibility test for singles in San Francisco, with attitudes towards the technology increasingly influencing who people are willing to date. Singles are checking employers, looking for AI-related clues on dating profiles and asking dates directly about their views. Some see working at companies such as OpenAI or an AI startup as a red flag, while others would avoid partners who strongly oppose AI. The divide is even playing out at singles events, where AI workers have been booed simply for revealing what they do.
COSMPOLITAN – New dating app Hoppy is targeting Gen Z with an alternative to traditional profiles and swiping. Users create scrapbook-style profiles around their interests and can communicate through text, photos, video, music and voice notes. Hoppy was founded by Julian Hislop, former UK marketing lead at Tinder and UK country lead at Bumble, and Chloe Hall, a former ELLE beauty director and Glossier content lead. The app also encourages real-world dates with safety check-ins and venue perks.
MARKETING INTERACTIVE – Coffee Meets Bagel is offering one month of free Premium access to the first 1,000 eligible Singapore public service employees. Users must verify their identity through Singpass and their government work email to qualify. The promotion comes as Singapore’s public sector experiments with online dating through GovTech’s FirstDate platform, which launched earlier this month for public officers.