Russian Dating Services Invest in Expansion to U.S. and Turkey

In 2023, the dating service "Mamba" plans to invest about 6.5million in expanding into foreign markets, RBC was told by the company′s CEO, Andrey Bronetsky. These investments will focus on marketing, Mamba clarified, and under a positive scenario, the amount could increase to 10 million.

According to Bronetsky, the most attractive markets for expansion are the U.S., Turkey, Germany, Israel, and Kazakhstan.

"These countries were chosen for scaling because they already have an active user base. This audience shows strong engagement and payment metrics. The main goal in these regions is to grow the user base while maintaining gender balance and increasing MAU (monthly active users) by 30%," Bronetsky explained.

In Israel and Germany, the growth driver will be Russian expats, who now number over 6 million there. They actively communicate both among themselves and with local users. By the end of 2019, Mamba ranked second in downloads and fifth in revenue in Israel, surpassing global giant Tinder. After several COVID waves and economic stagnation, its position slipped slightly, but by the end of 2023, the service plans to re-enter the top five.

In Germany, online dating is an integral part of life, Bronetsky noted. Mamba’s user activity and session duration there are much higher than in other European countries. Currently, Germany has about 1.5 million registered profiles and is Mamba’s second-largest revenue market. The company aims to grow its German audience by 30% this year.

In Turkey, Russian dating is "historically popular" among local men who prefer meeting Russian, Ukrainian, or Kazakh women due to their "similar mentality," Bronetsky pointed out. Turkey currently has around 2 million active profiles, and registrations, payments, and chats surged after the mobilization announcement.

*"As for the U.S. market, of course, we’re not talking about competing with giants like Match.com, OKCupid, Tinder, or Bumble—especially on their home turf. But we plan to strengthen our position among the Russian-speaking population in the U.S., estimated at 5 million,"* Bronetsky emphasized.

The dating service "Teamo" is focusing on attracting users from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia in 2023, said Anna Grishacheva, the company’s product development director.

"We already have users from these countries—about 15% of our active subscriber base. But until this year, we hadn’t actively targeted traffic from there. In 2023, we plan to invest up to $700,000 in these regions if ad campaigns show good results. We also don’t rule out opening a regional office in one of these countries," Grishacheva said. The goal is to increase active users from these countries by over 50% this year.

A representative of LovePlanet.ru stated that the company continues to expand successfully in international markets through video dating and organic growth strategies, though its main market remains Russia and the CIS.

"However, the audience of LovePlanet’s iOS and Android apps is much broader. Over 70% of users come from India, Turkey, and South America, bringing in hundreds of thousands of new users monthly."

Due to high competition in the U.S., LovePlanet.ru is not pushing a traditional dating service there. Instead, it is testing standalone apps related to video dating. Over the past two years, the service actively developed in China, but stricter regulations for apps and social networks have made operations there difficult.

Mamba expects faster ROI abroad because foreign users face no issues with mobile payments—unlike some Russian users.

"Audiences in these countries are not only more solvent than in former CIS markets but also more accustomed to paying for subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, etc.). This makes them more willing to pay for dating services too," Bronetsky noted.

Payment options for international users include one-time purchases or subscriptions via Apple Pay, Google Play, bank cards, PayPal, mobile billing, and local payment systems.

Due to current challenges (ad and software procurement issues), Mamba has relocated some operations to Armenia and an EU country, Bronetsky said. Local marketing campaigns will involve regional ad agencies, but no immediate hiring plans are in place.

Teamo, meanwhile, is emphasizing "conscious dating" and serious relationships abroad.

"Our service helps users get to know each other better through detailed profiles, moving beyond endless swiping. This sets us apart and gives us a niche in new markets," Grishacheva said.

After partial mobilization was announced in Russia on September 21, dating services saw increased activity in popular relocation countries.

Mamba’s registrations surged:

• Armenia: +135%
• Georgia: +120%
• Turkey: +110%
• Kazakhstan: +32%
• Belarus: +19%

Views of Russian profiles also rose:

• Armenia: +27%
• Turkey & Georgia: +12%
• Kazakhstan: +16%
• Belarus: +8.5%

Notably, payments by users in Armenia jumped by 165%—all from male users.

Relocation Waves

After the 2022 military operation, Russia experienced several relocation waves. The most discussed was the exodus of IT specialists:

• March 2022: 50,000–70,000 left.
• April 2022 (second wave): 70,000–100,000 left.
• Post-mobilization, departures could triple spring 2022 numbers, per industry estimates.

Top relocation destinations included Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, UAE, Southeast Asia, and the Baltics.