Aurora Payments Appoints Ryan Cross Chief Financial Officer

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 22, 2025--

Aurora Payments, a full‑service payment technology provider, today announced Ryan Cross as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for leading the company’s finance organization and driving financial excellence, operational efficiency and growth.

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“We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan to Aurora,” said Derek Dean, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Payments. “His proven track record in large‑scale merchant finance and strategic planning will be instrumental as we continue to scale our full‑stack fintech platform and deliver even greater value to our partners and customers.”

Cross brings over 15 years of financial leadership in the payments and merchant services industry. Most recently, he served as CFO of Wells Fargo’s Merchant Services business, overseeing finance, accounting, and strategic planning for a multibillion‑dollar merchant portfolio. Prior to Wells Fargo, Cross held senior finance and accounting leadership roles over a ten‑year tenure at Worldpay and its predecessor organizations, including Fifth Third Processing Solutions and Vantiv.

“Aurora has built an extraordinary platform and a culture of innovation,” said Ryan Cross, Chief Financial Officer of Aurora Payments. “I look forward to collaborating with Derek and the team to drive financial excellence, operational efficiency, and real‑time insights that accelerate our growth.”

About Aurora Payments

Aurora Payments is a united network of processing, technology, and payments solutions, supporting over 27,000 merchants and $12 billion in annual processing volume. Founded in 2005, Aurora has carved out leadership in several industries through its innovative products, exceptional service, and deep vertical expertise. The company’s proprietary platforms —ARISE, RISE CRM, Calendarise, and NailSoft—are cloud-based solutions designed to simplify payments and operations for small and midsize businesses. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Aurora Payments is backed by Corsair, a leading private equity firm focused on payments, software, and financial service investments.

Follow Aurora Payments on LinkedIn or X, or learn more at https://risewithaurora.com.

Ryan Cross

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)