Easier loans abroad also led to the bigger mop-up.
The second quarter (Q2) figure is a jump of 19 per cent in the net assets of foreigners and NRIs, from USD 177.9 billion during the April-June quarter (Q1) of 2010-11.
This was revealed by RBI data on India's International Investment Position (IIP), which represents the difference between assets held by residents and non-residents.
During Q2, total external financial assets of Indian residents increased USD 26.8 billion, or 7.15 per cent, to USD 401.7 billion, the IIP figure showed. The total external financial assets in Q1 were USD 374.9 billion.
Among the assets, direct investment abroad went up by USD 4.1 billion to USD 89.2 billion.
Portfolio investment by Indians in the form of equity securities remained flat at USD 0.9 billion during the quarter ended September.
Other investments by Indians in the overseas markets, including trade credits, loans and currency and deposits, increased by USD 5.5 billion, or 42 per cent, to USD 18.6 billion during the July-September quarter.
Loans also went up by USD 2.7 billion to USD 6.1 billion. Currency and deposits increased to USD 10.3 billion during the September quarter, up USD 2.4 billion from Q1.
The reserve assets of the country rose by USD 17.2 billion to USD 292.9 billion. During July-September, the Indian economy expanded by 8.9 per cent, even as advanced economies such as the US and many European nations grappled with sluggish growth.
During the period, the country's total external financial liabilities registered an increase of USD 60 billion, or 11 per cent, to USD 612.8 billion. It was USD 552.8 billion for the quarter ended June 2010.
Direct investment into the country went up by USD 13.5 billion to USD 191.7 billion.
Portfolio investment in the country during the quarter ended September also grew by USD 28.8 billion to USD 164.3 billion over the previous quarter.
Liabilities in the nature of trade credits, loans and currency and deposits cumulatively increased by USD 17.6 billion to USD 256.8 billion due to availability of funds at substantially lower interest rates than in the domestic markets.
Loans to Indian companies went up USD 8.3 or 6.5 per cent during the quarter ended September to USD 135.8 billion.
During the July-September period, currency and deposits liabilities grew marginally to USD 50.5 billion.