The company's purpose is to acquire, manage, broker and sell participations of all kinds, as well as to finance them. Furthermore, the company can buy, sell, broker, manage and utilize securities, intellectual property rights and real estate, conduct financial transactions of all kinds, establish subsidiaries and branches in Switzerland and abroad, and carry out all commercial and other activities that are related to the company's purpose. The company can grant loans or other financing to its direct or indirect parent companies and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, either for consideration or free of charge, and provide collateral of all kinds for the liabilities of such other companies, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets or by way of guarantees of any kind.