(Reuters) - Dutch lender ABN Amro beat second-quarter net interest income expectations on Wednesday, benefiting from a "higher for longer" environment for interest rates.

The bank's net interest income, a key measure of earnings on loans minus deposit costs, fell 1% to 1.61 billion euros ($1.76 billion) in the second quarter, compared to a year earlier.

That beat analysts' average forecast of 1.58 billion euros in a company-compiled poll.

($1=0.9164 euros)