Ripple’s XRP surged 20%, with the market widely attributing the rally to progress on an upgrade to the XRP Ledger (XRPL) lending protocol. The upgrade is intended to add native lending functionality to XRPL and further strengthen its DeFi ecosystem. The sharp price move reflects positive expectations around XRPL’s expanding capabilities. Investors are watching whether the upgrade could boost on-chain use cases for XRP and support token demand.

U.S. investors were net buyers of equity funds for a second straight week through August 19, with net inflows totaling $11.72 billion. Largecap and multicap funds drew $9.58 billion and $1.36 billion, respectively, while midcap and smallcap funds saw modest outflows. Fund demand was supported by a strong earnings season and cooler inflation data, despite pressure from a bond market selloff and rising oil prices.

Investor’s Business Daily said that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are locked in intense competition in the weight-loss drug market. It added that Eli Lilly’s stock performance has been the clear winner, putting the company in the lead within the sector.

Bitcoin climbed 10% intraday, pushing above $79,000 and setting up its biggest weekly gain in nearly three years. US stocks also edged higher, with the Dow up 0.5% and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each about 0.4%. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would expand its bond buyback programme, with each buyback exceeding $4 billion.

India’s soybean oil imports could reach 62 lakh tonnes in August, setting a monthly record and running nearly 46% above the current marketing-year monthly average, the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) said. Kharif oilseed sowing is slightly below last year overall, with soybean acreage lower while groundnut, sesame and sunflower acreage has increased. As one of the world’s largest edible oil importers, a spike in imports would directly affect India’s import bill, domestic prices and food inflation.

Bitcoin is up more than 8% on the day and is on track for its best weekly performance in more than three years. The move reflects strong buying interest and upbeat sentiment toward digital assets. Prices have climbed in a sustained advance, reaching a new high for the current phase. The rally comes as macro and industry sentiment align, making bitcoin one of the strongest-performing major assets recently.

Bitcoin has climbed more than 25% since Monday, briefly hitting an intraday high of $79,500 after spending six weeks range-bound between $62,000 and $66,000. A US digital-asset regulation bill has cleared the House but still needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a procedural hurdle. The legislation would split oversight responsibilities between the SEC and the CFTC.

London shares rose on Friday, with mining stocks leading gains on the FTSE 100. Spot gold traded above $4,500 an ounce and copper held near record levels, boosting the sector. Antofagasta climbed 4% to 3,864p, while Fresnillo and Anglo American rose 3% each and Endeavour Mining gained 3%, with Glencore up 2%. Bitcoin also surged 10% to above $79,000.