AMSTERDAM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The chief executive of ABN Amro, Robert Swaak, will step down in the first half of next year, three years before the end of his term, the Dutch lender said on Thursday.

Swaak, 64, was appointed in 2020 and was given a second 4-year term earlier this year.

It was a good moment to step down, said Swaak, to give the bank's board time to find a successor for what he called a "new strategic phase".

In a statement, he said, "When I was asked for a second term, I knew I would possibly make way for a successor at a suitable moment before the end of my term."

Largely state-owned ABN is one of three dominant banks in the Netherlands.

Since its bailout by the Dutch state in 2008, it has refocused its operations and orientation on the Dutch market, cutting thousands of jobs.

ABN Amro was re-privatised in 2015, but the Dutch state still holds about 40% of its shares. It held a majority stake until September last year.

In May, the lender agreed to buy German private bank Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe (HAL) for 672 million euros from China's Fosun International to expand in the area of wealth management, its largest deal since the global financial crisis. (Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Jason Neely and Clarence Fernandez)