New Delhi, April 29 -- Funding in India's financial technology (fintech) sector remained largely flat at $513 million in the first quarter of 2026, but the number of deals plummeted by 54% year-on-year, signalling a structural shift towards fewer, larger investments, market intelligence firm Tracxn said on Tuesday. According to the 'Geo Quarterly Report - India FinTech Q1 2026' by Tracxn, the sector witnessed just 45 funding rounds in the January-March period, a sharp decline from 99 rounds in the corresponding quarter of 2025. Total funding saw a marginal 2% increase from $503 million in Q1 2025, though it declined 9% sequentially from $562 million in Q4 2025. "The flat headline masks a structural shift: the same capital concentrated across half the deals, with average cheque sizes more than doubling. The signal is not retreat, but selection: investors are writing bigger cheques into fewer, later-stage companies with demonstrated unit economics," the report noted. A significant chunk of the quarter's capital was driven by a single mega-deal. Mumbai-based housing finance platform Weaver raised $156 million, accounting for nearly a third of the total funding in the quarter. In terms of cities, Mumbai dethroned Bengaluru as the top destination for fintech investments. Mumbai-based startups captured 61% ($311 million) of the total funding, a massive jump from just 9% a year ago. Bengaluru, which commanded 51% of capital in Q1 2025, trailed with a 30% share ($152 million) in Q1 2026, followed by Gurugram, Delhi, and Chennai. The report attributed this geographic shift to the rise of lending and affordable-housing fintechs, sectors where Mumbai's proximity to banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) provide a structural advantage. Four of the top five Q1 2026 funding rounds-Weaver, Ecofy, Easy Home Finance, and Idfy-are Mumbai-headquartered. Stage-wise data revealed a "classic barbell" pattern, with capital accumulating at the ends of the funnel. Late-stage funding surged 126% to $273 million. Conversely, seed-stage funding dried up, plummeting 65% year-on-year to just $25.7 million. "The pattern is a classic barbell: capital is accumulating at the ends of the funnel rather than the middle, with the seed end thinning out fastest. Late-stage concentration is being driven by companies that already have scale," Tracxn observed. On the exit front, the quarter saw zero initial public offerings (IPOs) and no new unicorns were minted. However, the ecosystem witnessed two acquisitions: Polymarket's $1.2 billion buyout of Brahma and Rainmatter's purchase of PensionBox....