The Rupee opened higher on Friday after a Reuters report that the central bank took steps to ?reduce the impact of dollar buying by state-run oil refiners. That RBI is taking on more steps to support the currency that ?will help rupee push higher at open, Anil Bhansali, head of ?treasury at Finrex Treasury Advisors, said. He pointed out that the rupee would be ?opening on a positive note despite the rise in oil prices on Thursday and weak Asian cues. The central ?bank had used a similar measure during the Russia-Ukraine war to support the currency ?amid ?a surge in oil prices. State-run refiners are being prodded to meet the daily payment needs by accessing dollar credit lines through State Bank of India, three people familiar with the matter said. Oil refiners buy dollars on a daily ?basis, typically executing ?trades through several ?banks, and bankers have cited these flows as a source of pressure on the rupee in recent days. The step complements ?measures already taken by the RBI to support the ?rupee, including ?a clampdown on arbitrage trades between the onshore OTC and offshore NDF markets, as well as on speculative activity by corporates. The U.S. dollar was headed for a second consecutive weekly decline on Friday in tentative trade, as ?a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and prospects for fresh Iran talks prompted investors to unwind safe-haven positions. Currencies were mostly rangebound in Asia trade as investors awaited further details, leaving the euro steady against ?the dollar at $1.1783. The common currency was on track for a third straight weekly gain, while sterling traded ?at $1.3526. Both currencies have now largely recouped losses triggered by the Iran conflict, hovering near their highest levels in seven weeks. The dollar index , which ?measures the greenback's strength against six major peers, was steady at 98.212. It was on track for a second straight week of declines, giving up ?most of the gains sparked by the war, as ceasefire optimism continued to reduce demand for safe-haven assets. The Australian dollar fetched $0.7163, continuing ?to hover near four-year highs on buoyant risk sentiment. The kiwi traded 0.06% lower at $0.5888. Against the yen, the dollar rose slightly to 159.26 . Bank of Japan Governor ?Kazuo Ueda ?on Thursday said a decision on how soon to raise interest rates must take into account the fact that the nation's real interest rate is low. The two-year yield was last at ?3.7758%, while the benchmark 10-year ?yield was steady at 4.3132%. Fed funds futures show markets continue to bet that the Federal Reserve will keep rates on hold this year. Oil prices fell in early trade on Friday on optimism the Middle East conflict could be nearing ?an end after a 10 day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel ?took effect and President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran may meet for talks on the weekend. Brent crude futures declined by $1.34, or 1.35%, to $98.05 ?a barrel at 0021 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures ?fell $1.65, or 1.74%, to $93.40 a barrel, trimming gains from ?the previous session.......