Acquisition and holding of intellectual property and license rights, as well as their management and further development in Switzerland and abroad; acquisition of participation rights of any kind in domestic and foreign companies, other investments of any kind, acquisition of securities by purchase, exchange or otherwise, and management, control and exploitation of these participations. May also grant guarantees or loans to companies in which it holds a direct or indirect participation or which belong to the same group of companies as itself, or support them in other ways. May provide factoring services for the benefit of group companies. May conduct all commercial, industrial or financial transactions that are conducive to achieving its purpose.