The company's purpose is to provide management services, primarily to companies within the ABB Group. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad. The company may acquire, hold, manage, encumber, utilize and sell real estate and intellectual property rights in Switzerland and abroad, as well as finance other companies. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to its direct or indirect subsidiaries and third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, for its own liabilities and those of other companies (including direct or indirect shareholders of the company or companies in which these shareholders are directly or indirectly involved), provide collateral of all kinds, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, or guarantees, enter into sureties or otherwise secure or guarantee obligations of the company or these other companies, whether for consideration or not. Furthermore, it may engage in liquidity balancing/concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) with the aforementioned companies or join such an arrangement, including periodic account balancing. The company may also do all of the above without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's profit motive, and assuming cluster risks. The company may engage in all commercial, financial and other activities that appear suitable to promote the company's purpose or are related to it.