Hawaya Targets New European Users With France Launch

Hawaya, the Match Group-owned dating app for Muslims, is now available in 13 countries around the world after officially moving into France.

The platform was first launched in Egypt in 2017 and aims to provide a safe space for young Muslim singles to find a partner who share their faith. It was originally named ‘Harmonica’, but underwent a rebrand at the beginning of 2020 inspired by the Arabic word for “love”.

There are currently just under five million users on Hawaya. France has more than six million Muslims and marks one of the very first steps in Hawaya’s European expansion.

Chief Marketing Officer Richma Piarly told CairoScene: “Deep work has been carried out to understand expectations, refine criteria, develop a safe chat platform, and match requirements of French Muslim women who are willing to handle their love and social lives by themselves. 

“Moreover, it’s important to underline the fact that for a lot female Muslim singles, the encounter is sanctified. It truly is part of her life goals, it’s not just for social purposes.”

To celebrate the launch, Hawaya created two new promotional videos with the tagline ‘Love Stories Start Here’. They show new matches getting excited to meet each other for the first time, while also recognising some of the cultural nuances of the app.

Match Group announced its acquisition at the end of the second quarter in 2019 to increase its own impact in MENA.

Hawaya is active in most countries across the region and was initially only available in Arabic. It has since been localized to both English and French as it expands globally, starting with Canada last summer.

Read more here.