ECONOMIST - July 15 - America's government viewed Grindr with Chinese ties as a national-security concern. Can Blued that has just listed in New York expect similar treatment? Blued launched in China in 2012, 11 years after homosexuality was removed from the country's list of mental disorders. An international edition of the app was released in 2015. Just over half of Blued's 6M active monthly users are in China. The rest are mainly in other parts of Asia. BlueCity's revenues reached 207M yuan ($30M) in the Q1, up by 43% YOY. On July 8th its parent company, BlueCity, listed on New York's Nasdaq exchange, at a market value of over $600m. Blued has so far avoided the sort of scrutiny from American regulators that befell Grindr. Unlike Grindr, which was popular in America before Kunlun bought it, Blued is a minnow outside Asia. Its relative obscurity may shield it from examination for a while. If it starts to gain a foothold in America, regulators are likely to take a closer look.
Comments