"I failed my husband by not considering the perception of a 'conflict of interest' created by my purchase of dollars," she said in a statement issued on Monday in response to the resignation of her husband Philipp Hildebrand.

"My husband is a man of the utmost integrity and I deeply regret that my actions might have led anyone to question this."

Philipp Hildebrand resigned with immediate effect on Monday, relinquishing one of the world's top 10 central banking jobs because he has been unable to prove he was unaware of a $418,000 currency trade made by his wife. (Reporting by Paul Hoskins; editing by David Milliken)