Businesses that have paid over the odds for goods and services because of price-rigging are being offered a “risk-free’’ way to seek compensation in a development that may boost the number of cartel cases.

FirstAssist, the insurance provider, is joining forces with Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, a law firm that specialises in class-action claims, to launch a product that will insure specifically against the financial risks of cartel litigation.