The purpose of the company is to provide financial and trading services, as well as to acquire, hold, manage and dispose of participations in Switzerland and abroad. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad, and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad, as well as carry out all activities that appear suitable to promote the purpose of the company directly or indirectly, or that are connected therewith. The company may acquire, hold, manage, encumber, utilize and dispose of real estate and intellectual property rights in Switzerland and abroad, as well as finance other companies. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as well as to third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, and provide collateral of any kind for its own liabilities and those of other companies (including direct or indirect shareholders of the company or companies in which these shareholders are directly or indirectly involved), including by way of pledges on or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, or provide guarantees, enter into suretyships or otherwise secure or guarantee the obligations of these other companies, whether for consideration or not. Furthermore, it may engage in liquidity balancing/concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) with the aforementioned companies or join such an arrangement, including periodic account balancing. All of this may be done by the company without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's pursuit of profit, and assuming cluster risks.