A large number of studies can be found in the literature regarding the production of new catalysts for methanol steam reforming. This work summarizes the latest developments on catalysts for this application and is divided in two main groups: copper-based and group 8-10 metal-based catalysts. In each section, the strategies proposed by several authors to enhance the performance of the catalysts are described. An overall comparison between the two groups shows that copper-based catalysts are the most active ones, while the 8-10 group catalysts present better results in terms of thermal stability and long-term stability. Very promising results were reported for both groups, enhancing the value of methanol as a hydrogen carrier for fuel cell applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.