Results of Operations
Revenue (in thousands, except for percentages)
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017
Total net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, increased by $1,083.9 million, or 49%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2017.
Transaction-based revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, increased by $551.3 million, or 29%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2017. This increase was attributable to the growth in GPV processed of $19.3 billion, or 30%, to $84.7 billion from $65.3 billion. We continued to benefit from growth in processed volumes from our existing sellers, in addition to meaningful contributions from new sellers. Additionally, GPV from larger sellers, which we define as all sellers that generate more than $125,000 in annualized GPV, represented 51% of our GPV in the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase from 47% in the fourth quarter of 2017. We continued to see ongoing success with attracting and enabling large seller growth, which we believe will help drive strong GPV growth as we scale.
Subscription and services-based revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 increased by $339.0 million, or 134%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2017. Growth was driven primarily by Instant Deposit, Caviar, Cash Card, and Square Capital, as well as acquisitions completed in the second quarter. Subscription and services-based revenue grew to 18% of total net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2018, up from 11% in the year ended December 31, 2017.
Hardware revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, increased by $27.1 million, or 65%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2017. The increase primarily reflects growth in shipments of Square Register following its launch in the fourth quarter of 2017 and, to a lesser extent, the launch of Square Terminal during the fourth quarter of 2018. The increase was also driven by continued growth in sales of our contactless and chip readers, as well as growth in sales of our Square Stand and third-party peripherals driven primarily by new features and product offerings. Additionally, the adoption of ASC 606 resulted in an increase of $5.9 million in hardware revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 primarily related to the earlier revenue recognition of hardware sold through retail distribution channels and hardware installment sales, which were previously recorded upon sell through to the end user customer.
Bitcoin revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018, increased by $166.5 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2017. During the fourth quarter of 2017, we started offering our Cash App customers the ability to purchase bitcoin from us. Bitcoin revenue comprises the total sale amount we receive from bitcoin sales to customers and is recorded upon transfer of bitcoin to the customer’s account. The sale amount generally includes a small margin added to the price we pay to purchase bitcoin and accordingly, the amount of bitcoin revenue will fluctuate depending on the volatility of market bitcoin prices and customer demand.
Table:
 |  | Year Ended December 31, |  | 2017 to 2018 | 2016 to 2017
 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | % Change | % Change
Transaction-based revenue | $2,471,451 | $1,920,174 | $1,456,160 | 29% | 32%
Starbucks transaction-based revenue | — | — | 78,903 | NM | (100)%
Subscription and services-based revenue | 591,706 | 252,664 | 129,351 | 134% | 95%
Hardware revenue | 68,503 | 41,415 | 44,307 | 65% | (7)%
Bitcoin revenue | 166,517 | — | — | NM | NM
Total net revenue | $3,298,177 | $2,214,253 | $1,708,721 | 49% | 30%


Question: What was the cause of the increase in transaction-based revenue from 2017 to 2018?
Answer: the growth in GPV processed of $19.3 billion, or 30%, to $84.7 billion from $65.3 billion