The company's purpose is to hold and manage participations in companies in Switzerland and abroad. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad. The company is authorized to acquire, encumber, sell and manage licenses, patents and other intangible assets as well as real estate in Switzerland and abroad, to conduct investment and lending transactions of any kind, and to provide guarantees. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to group companies or third parties, including their direct or indirect shareholders or investors and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, and provide security for the liabilities of such other companies, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets or guarantees of any kind, whether against payment or not. Furthermore, it may engage in liquidity balancing / concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) with the aforementioned companies or join such a system, including periodic account balancing (zero balancing), also on preferential terms without interest, excluding the company's profit motive and assuming cluster risks. In addition, the company may conduct all business and engage in all commercial, financial and other activities that are suitable to promote the company's purpose or are directly or indirectly related thereto.