The dollar's appreciation at the height of the financial crisis shows that markets still view the dollar as a safe haven and the world's main reserve currency, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Sunday.

We don't want to lose that, role, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said after giving a presentation on a panel.

2008 into 2009, the rest of the world did a flight to safety, they came to the dollar, Bullard said. The dollar appreciated during the crisis.

The dollar's recent decline has to be viewed in that context, he added.