The company's purpose is to establish, acquire and dispose of, as well as manage, participations in companies of all kinds, both domestically and abroad, and to carry out all related financing transactions. It may establish branches abroad, found subsidiaries, participate in related companies, acquire, hold, manage, encumber, utilize and dispose of real estate and intellectual property rights, and perform all legal acts that may be necessary to achieve the company's purpose, in particular to provide financing to affiliated and other companies, grant securities of all kinds, or otherwise secure or guarantee obligations of these companies. The company may provide direct or indirect financing to its direct or indirect subsidiaries and third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, grant securities of all kinds, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets, or guarantees 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), enter into joint and several liability or surety agreements, or otherwise secure or guarantee obligations of these other companies, whether for consideration or not. Furthermore, it may engage in liquidity balancing/cash concentration (cash pooling) with the aforementioned companies or join such an arrangement, including periodic account balancing. This may also be done without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's profit motive, and assuming cluster risks.