The company's purpose is to acquire, sell, hold, finance and manage participations. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad, as well as conduct all business that is directly or indirectly related to its purpose. The company may acquire, encumber, sell and manage real estate in Switzerland and abroad, except for transactions prohibited by the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewG). The company 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), provide security of all kinds, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, or provide guarantees, enter into suretyships or otherwise secure or guarantee the 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 a system, including periodic account balancing. This may also be done without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the company's profit motive and assuming cluster risks.