The company's purpose is to acquire, hold, manage and dispose of participations in companies of any kind in Switzerland and abroad, as well as to acquire, manage and exploit intellectual property rights. The company may participate in other companies, acquire, exploit, manage and dispose of business premises, real estate and intellectual property rights, establish subsidiaries and branches in Switzerland and abroad, and carry out all legal transactions that may be necessary or useful for the attainment of its purpose or for the development of the company or its group companies. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to third parties, including companies in which it has a direct or indirect interest, its direct or indirect shareholders, and companies in which such parties have a direct or indirect interest, whether by means of loans or other financing, including within the framework of cash pooling agreements, and may provide security of any kind for their obligations, including by means of pledges or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets or by means of guarantees of any kind, whether against payment or not.