ENRC is still in rivalry with Kazakhmys over who is going to eat who. It is believed that the Kazakh government urged the two companies to come to a conclusion concerning the merger. Both companies are incorporated in UK and have top position on the listing of London Stock Exchange due to favorable prices on the commodities they sell - metals, copper and gold.

Both are run by controversial characters: three non-Kazakh citizens and non-Kazakhs ethnically at ENRC, all under pending money laundering prosecution in Belgium; a former lower level communist party boss without any business background at Kazakhmys, who said in court in 2000 that he was bribing a prime-minister.

Apparently, they are competing in showing the Kazakh leadership who’s better. Not so long ago there was a sort of a stock market provocation with ENRC stating its plans and alleged negotiations with Kazakhmys on acquisition of the copper producer. Kazakhmys denied this allegation.
ENRC’s shares price jumped up - and it could be a very indicative sign for the government: “Look how  happy the market would be”. Interestingly, currently Kazakhmys is owning a part in the ENRC. But the competition also has some concrete implications for Kazakhstan. Kazakhmys buys off coal assets from the foreigners. ENRC invests in railways.

In a most recent possible attempt to  show its loyalty and willingness to be of help, ENRC launched a charitable foundation ENRC-Komek [Help], which will spend $25,3 million this year for educational, cultural, research and other activities.