Match Group is focusing on India to drive new user growth for Tinder and Hinge, aiming to offset global subscriber declines. The company faces significant pressure to fix safety and fraud issues that have led to warnings from Indian authorities and scrutiny from US regulators.
Match Group is turning its focus toward the Indian market to expand its Tinder and Hinge brands, seeing the country as a key growth opportunity due to rising internet use and lower market penetration. This move is part of a larger effort to address a slowdown in its global business. While the company pursues growth, it must manage financial pressure, as Tinder’s direct revenue fell 4% to $1.86 billion in 2025, and total paying users across its portfolio dropped to 13.5 million in early 2026 from 14.1 million the year prior.
While Tinder faces difficulty, Hinge remains a strong performer. The brand saw its revenue climb 22% to $204 million in the June quarter. Match Group has set a goal for Hinge to generate $1 billion in annual revenue by 2027, and achieving this target depends partly on success in fast-growing markets like India.
The expansion comes with significant operational and reputation risks. Safety has become a major concern, as the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre has issued warnings that dating apps are being exploited for financial crimes, including elaborate investment and cryptocurrency scams. These schemes often involve grooming users over time before coercing them into fraudulent transactions or extorting them with threats regarding intimate images. These security problems are not limited to India; a US government investigation led by Senator Maggie Hassan previously highlighted weaknesses in Tinder’s fraud-detection systems, noting that some AI tools had not been updated for years.
To counter these threats and protect its brand, Match Group is rolling out localized safety features, including video-selfie verification and contact blocking tools. However, these safety measures may require higher spending on technology and moderation. The company’s ability to successfully enter the Indian market depends on its capacity to improve user trust and security without significantly hurting its profit margins. Investors will be monitoring the upcoming user growth figures and the cost of maintaining safety features to see if the Indian expansion can truly help reverse the company’s recent global subscriber decline.