The purpose of the company is to acquire, manage and dispose of participations in companies in Switzerland and abroad, to manage other companies in Switzerland and abroad, as well as to engage in financing activities of any kind. The company may participate in other enterprises, acquire, utilize, manage and dispose of real estate and intellectual property rights, establish subsidiaries and branches in Switzerland and abroad, and furthermore, perform all legal acts that the purpose of the company may entail or that are suitable to promote its development or that of group companies. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to third parties, including companies in which it is directly or indirectly involved, its direct or indirect shareholders, and companies in which these shareholders are directly or indirectly involved, either through loans or other financing, including within the framework of cash pooling agreements, and may also provide securities of any kind for their liabilities, including through pledges on or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets or through guarantees of any kind, whether for a fee or not. The company is part of the Linde Group and may, in pursuing its corporate purpose, take into account the interests of the Linde Group.