Direct or indirect acquisition, management and disposal of equity or debt participations or equity-like participations in domestic and foreign companies, as well as financing transactions related thereto. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad, acquire, encumber and dispose of real estate, participate in other domestic and foreign companies, hold such participations, assume representations, provide financing for its own account or for the account of third parties, enter into guarantees and sureties for affiliated companies and third parties, and provide corresponding securities of all kinds, in particular in the form of guarantees of any kind and pledges or fiduciary transfers of assets of the company.