Bumble shares soar after report dating firm in $1bn takeover talks

ByOsmond Chia Business reporter. 13 October 2026, 02: 36 BST.

Key points

• Match Group – which owns apps including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge – has additionally seen its shares fall sharply from their peak in 2021.
• Shares in dating app firm Bumble soared by almost 50% on Monday after a report that it is in advanced negotiations to be purchased for around $1bn (£757m).
• Technology holding firm Ithaca could announce a agreement to purchase the Texas-based firm as early as this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Bumble was introduced in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd.
• According a report by media watchdog Ofcom in 2025, adults in the UK were spending less time on dating apps compared to three years earlier.

In practice, the jump in Bumble's shares pushed its stock market valuation to over $580m but that is still far below a peak of more than $14bn it reached after listing on the Nasdaq in 2021.

Bumble is one of the world's most downloaded dating apps, operating in a crowded market where expansion has slowed. The BBC has contacted Bumble and Ithaca for comment.

Bumble was introduced in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd. This person was additionally a co-founder of dating app giant Tinder.

Wolfe Herd built Bumble's brand around a distinctive feature that only allowed women to initiate conversations with matches.

It lately abandoned that rule, prompting debate among users over whether the app had lost what set it apart from rivals.

"Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections and that is what this new experience provides, " Wolfe Herd remarked in August.

Dating apps like Bumble have come under pressure over recent years as some younger users have grown disillusioned with browsing for dates.

Bumble remarked in 2025 that it would cut almost a third of its workforce as the industry grappled with what Wolfe Herd described as an "inflection point" in online dating.

Investments in other dating firms have additionally soured as apps have struggled to convince users to pay for their services.

Some single individuals are instead turning to board game get-togethers, book clubs and other group activities in the hope of finding a partner.

For now, bumble shares soar after report dating firm in $1bn takeover talks remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.