Opening a bank account in Spain with no employment status

I think you're going to have a problem.

When I first got here it was possible to just open an account, a foreigners account, with just your NIE which is easy enough to get but two or three years ago all the banks required proof from existing clients that there money was coming from a legitimate source. You didn't have (as far as I know) to have proof of taxation but if you didn't then you needed pay slips or proof of a pension or proof of income from other sources. The intention, obviously enough, is to make it more difficult to launder money.

I just had a look at the Triodos bank which is an online bank and with a reputation for being fair. This paragraph is in their contract.

El/los Titular/es ha/han sido informado/s por Triodos Bank NV Sucursal en España de que la legislación vigente sobre prevención de blanqueo de capitales obliga a las
entidades bancarias a obtener de sus clientes la información de su actividad económica y a realizar una comprobación de la misma. Con este exclusivo fin de verificación de la información facilitada, presto/prestamos mi/nuestro consentimiento expreso a Triodos Bank NV S.E. para que en mi/nuestro nombre pueda solicitar ante la
Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social dicha información. Los datos obtenidos de la Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social serán utilizados exclusivamente para la
gestión señalada anteriormente. En el caso de incumplimiento de esta obligación por parte de la Entidad Financiera y/o del personal que en ella presta servicios, se
ejecutarán todas las actuaciones previstas en la Ley Orgánica 15/99, de 13 de diciembre, de Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal y normativa que la desarrolla.

So it says that they will check but I can't see anything in their paperwork which stops you opening, or at least trying to open, an account.

If one online bank does it then the others like ING direct etc may well be the same