An overview presentation is made on the current global status of fungal beta3-amylases, their characteristics and applications in various industries. Among the few available report on beta-amylase producing fungal strains, many showed a preference for a cultivation temperature of 28 degrees C, acidic pH and soluble starch as an inducer of enzyme synthesis. In some fungal strains, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidases were found to be present as major contaminating enzymes. Although the existence of a few starch digesting and raw starch adsorbing fungal strains were reported, detailed study on molecular biology of corresponding fungal genes was not available.