The company's purpose is to acquire, hold, manage, and sell interests in companies both domestically and abroad. The company is authorized to acquire, encumber, dispose of, and manage real property. The company may establish branches in Switzerland and abroad, and enter into any transactions and conclude any contracts that are suitable for promoting the company's purpose or are directly or indirectly related thereto. It may acquire, manage, encumber, and dispose of real estate, copyrights, patents, and licenses of all kinds. The company may grant loans or other financing to its direct or indirect subsidiary companies or shareholders, as well as enter into any securities transactions of any kind, particularly in the form of guarantees, pledges, global assignments, security transfers, security assignments, and hold harmless declarations for affiliated companies and third parties, even if such financing or securities transactions are in their sole interest and are uncompensated. Furthermore, the company may enter into cash pooling agreements with other group companies.