The company's purpose is to acquire, hold and permanently manage participations in other companies. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad. The company may acquire, hold, manage, encumber, utilize and sell 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 and to third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, provide security 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, fiduciary transfers or assignments of assets of the company or guarantees, enter into guarantees or otherwise secure or guarantee 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. This may also be done without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's pursuit of profit and assuming cluster risks.