If he is confirmed, Bernake will succeed current Chairman Alan Greenspan when he retires on January 31 after 18 years at the helm of the US central bank.
The nomination of Bernanke is seen by many as a sign the Fed would stay on track to raise interest rates, thus supporting the dollar against other currencies.
Bernanke is known for his desire to achieve central bank transparancy and is a vocal supporter of inflation targeting to guide interest rate policy.
The dollar last traded at 1.2887/90 Swiss francs, up from 1.2836/41 francs in late trading in Europe on Monday. The euro stood at 1.5423/31 francs, unchanged from 1.5422/27 francs on Monday.