The purpose of the company is to hold participations in companies of all kinds. The company can also participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad that pursue similar or identical purposes, acquire, establish or lease such companies, establish branches in Switzerland and abroad, and conduct all business and conclude contracts that are suitable to promote the purpose of the company or are directly or indirectly related to the purpose of the company. The company can provide direct or indirect financing to its directly or indirectly held subsidiaries as well as to economically related persons and companies (including their direct or indirect shareholders and companies controlled by them) and provide securities of all kinds for liabilities of such other companies or persons, including by way of pledges on or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets, debt assumptions or guarantees of any kind, whether remunerated or not. This also applies to preferential conditions, e.g. without interest or other direct or indirect consideration, excluding the company's pursuit of profit and assuming cluster risks.