A process for the regeneration of a coked metal-containing catalyst, the process comprising: (a) supplying a feedstock comprising methane to a reaction zone comprising a metal-containing catalyst; (b) operating said reaction zone under reaction conditions effective to convert at least a portion of said methane to higher hydrocarbon(s) and to deposit carbonaceous material on the metal-containing catalyst causing deactivation of the catalyst; (c) transferring at least a portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst to a regeneration zone; (d) contacting said portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst in said regeneration zone with an atmosphere which contains carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, wherein the ratio of the partial pressure of carbon monoxide to the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the regeneration zone is at least 2.3:1, and having less than 100 ppm of molecular oxygen, at a temperature of at least 400°C, wherein the metal of said catalyst is selected from molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, zinc, rhenium, platinum, palladium and mixtures thereof, so as to remove at least part of the carbonaceous material on the catalyst and regenerate the catalyst; (e) contacting at least a portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst in a regeneration zone with an atmosphere which contains hydrogen at a temperature of at least 400°C so as to remove at least part of the carbonaceous material on the catalyst and regenerate the catalyst, and (f) returning at least part of the regenerated catalyst to said reaction zone, wherein the catalyst is cycled between said operating (b) and at least one of said contacting (d) or said contacting (e) such that the catalyst undergoes said contacting (e) 2 to 100 times for each time the catalyst undergoes said contacting (d). (a) supplying a feedstock comprising methane to a reaction zone comprising a metal-containing catalyst; (b) operating said reaction zone under reaction conditions effective to convert at least a portion of said methane to higher hydrocarbon(s) and to deposit carbonaceous material on the metal-containing catalyst causing deactivation of the catalyst; (c) transferring at least a portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst to a regeneration zone; (d) contacting said portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst in said regeneration zone with an atmosphere which contains carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, wherein the ratio of the partial pressure of carbon monoxide to the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the regeneration zone is at least 2.3:1, and having less than 100 ppm of molecular oxygen, at a temperature of at least 400°C, wherein the metal of said catalyst is selected from molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, zinc, rhenium, platinum, palladium and mixtures thereof, so as to remove at least part of the carbonaceous material on the catalyst and regenerate the catalyst; (e) contacting at least a portion of said deactivated metal-containing catalyst in a regeneration zone with an atmosphere which contains hydrogen at a temperature of at least 400°C so as to remove at least part of the carbonaceous material on the catalyst and regenerate the catalyst, and (f) returning at least part of the regenerated catalyst to said reaction zone,