9 FINANCEOUTLOOKINDIAAPRIL, 2026WEALTH-TECH PLATFORM PRIMEINVESTOR RAISES RS 19.5 CR FROM RAINMATTERSBI EYES 25% GDP SHARE BY 2030 WITH AGGRESSIVE EXPANSIONGROWW GRANTS RS 51 CRORE ESOPS AFTER STRONG Q4 RESULTSINDIAN STARTUP FUNDING HITS $11.7 BN, RANKS FOURTH LARGEST IN FY26INDIAN STARTUP FUNDING ECOSYSTEM RETAINED ITS POSITION AS THE WORLD'S FOURTH LARGEST FUNDING HUB IN KRAFTON AND NAVER UNVEIL RS 6,000 CR INDIA-FOCUSED UNICORN GROWTH FUNDWealth-tech platform PrimeInvestor has raised Rs 19.5 crore (approximately $2 million) in its maiden external funding round, led by Rainmatter, as it accelerates its push into portfolio management services (PMS).The investment is purely financial in nature, allowing the company to retain full operational independence. Rainmatter, the investment arm backed by Zerodha, has been actively supporting fintech and startup ventures across India, having deployed over Rs 1,500 crore across 160+ startups since its inception. India's largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), is setting an ambitious growth trajectory that goes beyond conventional banking metrics. The state-owned financial giant is aiming to expand its balance sheet to nearly 25% of India's GDP by 2030, up from around 20% at present-signalling its intent to play an even more dominant role in the country's economic engine.This target reflects SBI's long-term vision of aligning its growth with India's expanding economy, while strengthening its leadership position in the banking sector. Fintech platform Groww has rolled out a fresh tranche of employee stock options (ESOPs) valued at approximately Rs 51.32 crore, reinforcing its focus on talent retention and long-term value creation. The move comes immediately after the company reported a strong financial performance for the fourth quarter of FY26.The ESOP grant covers over 24.32 lakh stock options issued under the company's ESOP 2024 scheme by its parent, Billionbrains Garage Ventures. Each stock option is convertible into one fully paid-up equity share with a face value of Rs 2. In a significant boost to India's startup ecosystem, South Korean technology leaders KRAFTON and Naver Corporation have joined forces with Mirae Asset Venture Investments to officially launch a Rs 6,000 crore (approximately $720 million) India-focused Unicorn Growth Fund. The fund stands among the largest capital pools raised from Asia dedicated to Indian startups.The formal launch of India-focused Unicorn Growth Fund follows a high-level meeting attended by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Republic of Korea's Trade Minister Jung Kwan Kim, along with senior executives from KRAFTON, Naver, and Mirae Asset. FY26, raising $11.7 billion across 1,632 deals, according to a report by Tracxn. Despite an 18% year-on-year decline from $14.3 billion in FY25, the funding levels marked a 20% recovery from FY24, indicating a steady recalibration rather than a downturn.The country continued to rank behind the United States, United Kingdom, and China, reinforcing its strong global standing even amid tightening capital flows.
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