Column “Asia Techonomics”: In Singapore, the state is now competing with Tinder

Bangkok. Singapore is a country that serves as a role model in many respects: According to the Pisa studies, the education system of the Southeast Asian city state is among the best in the world. According to the research and analysis department of the Economist Intelligence Unit, no country is easier to run a business in. And Singapore's housing policy ensures that more than 90 percent of households live in their own homes rather than renting.

The government of the metropolis with a population of around six million is now attempting to become a global pioneer in a new discipline: it wants to tackle the problem of falling birth rates aggressively - and is relying, among other things, on a new, state-run dating app.

The offer, which launched at the end of September, is called “FirstDate” and is initially in a pilot phase. Only government employees aged 21 to 35 can currently use the app. Anyone who registers must first fill out a detailed questionnaire. Among other things, it's about how sporty the user is, whether he or she lives in a tidy or chaotic apartment or how they prefer to relax after an intensive week at work.