The purpose of the company is to acquire, hold, manage, finance and sell participations in other companies of any kind in Switzerland or abroad. The company may establish branches, subsidiaries and representations in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad. It may engage in any business activities and conclude any contracts that may be beneficial to the company's purpose or that are directly or indirectly related to the company's purpose. It may acquire, hold, encumber, manage, utilize and sell real estate in Switzerland and abroad, except for transactions prohibited by the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad. The company is part of a group and may provide direct or indirect financing to its direct or indirect subsidiaries and third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, 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). It may provide securities of all kinds, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, or guarantees, sureties, or other forms of collateral for the company's or these other companies' obligations, whether remunerated 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. The company may do all of the above without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's profit motive, and assuming cluster risks.