The company's purpose is to acquire, hold, alienate, administer and manage, for its own account, direct or indirect interests in companies in Switzerland or abroad, in any form whatsoever, and to make investments in companies, financial instruments and products and assets of all kinds, it being specified that the company may hold interests in real estate companies located in Switzerland only if these have an exclusively commercial use. The company may carry out all operations directly or indirectly related to this purpose and be directly and indirectly interested therein. It may also, for its own account, carry out all financial, commercial and securities transactions, directly or indirectly related to its purpose or likely to promote it. The company may furthermore provide services, grant loans or other financial services to its direct or indirect shareholders, to affiliated companies as well as to third parties and grant securities of any nature whatsoever on its assets, including by means of pledges or transfers in trust or by means of guarantees of any nature whatsoever, to guarantee the obligations of its direct or indirect shareholders, of affiliated companies or of third parties. The company may create subsidiaries and branches, in Switzerland and abroad.